Scientists Intrigued by Signs of Hidden Ring of Objects at Edge of Solar System

Science and Health

Whoa.Edge CaseA decade of observations with the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii has uncovered the existence of an intriguing cluster of objects at the edge of our Solar System.The resulting studies, set to be published in the Planetary Science Journal, suggest that there could be an entire structure of objects lying beyond the uncharted darkness of the Kuiper Belt, a vast disc of icy bodies encircling the most distant reaches of our Sun’s domain.This could drastically shift our understanding of how our planetary system formed — and tantalizingly, perhaps of the prevalence of life throughout the universe.”If this is confirmed, it would be a major discovery,” said Fumi Yoshida, a planetary scientist from Japan’s University of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences and co-author of one of the studies, in a statement about the work. “The primordial solar nebula was much larger than previously thought, and this may have implications for studying the planet formation process in our Solar System.”Beyond the BeltThe Kuiper Belt lies about 40 to 50 astronomical units — that’s 40 to 50 times the average distance between our planet and the Sun — from the center of our system. Because the region is so dark, documenting the small objects that reside there with telescopes has proved tricky.NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is currently flying deeper into the belt to get up close observations, a course it’s been heading on since 2015. These latest observational efforts were intended to assist New Horizons, and in so doing, have picked up something even further than the belt.Specifically, the researchers discovered a cluster of 11 objects orbiting in a ring at a heliocentric distance between 70 to 90 AU, which are separated from the belt by a large, empty gap.This sudden void is the real kicker: it suggests that the objects comprise a distinct structure from the known Kuiper Belt — perhaps even an entire region or extension of it we’ve never seen before.Size-UpIf true, this would mean the Kuiper Belt is much larger than once believed. As the researchers note, this gap is a feature that’s commonly been observed in other planetary systems.”Our Solar System’s Kuiper Belt long appeared to be very small in comparison with many other planetary systems, but our results suggest that idea might just have arisen due to an observational bias,” said Wes Fraser, a co-investigator on the New Horizons mission and lead author of one of the studies, in the statement. “So maybe, if this result is confirmed, our Kuiper Belt isn’t all that small and unusual after all compared to those around other stars.”In other words, our Solar System might be less unique than we think it is. The prevailing theory on how it formed is that it coalesced from a solar nebula — essentially a dense cloud of gas. But the Kuiper Belt’s apparently small size put constraints on this nebula that suggested it would have needed to be unusually small.That may not be the case anymore, so our Solar System’s prerequisites for life might be more common — and ergo, life throughout the universe might be more common, too.More on space: Scientists Calculate “Settings” of the Universe Using AIShare This Article

China Offloading Stocks Of Solar Panels, Green Technologies With EU, US Restrictions 

Technology

Vincent Ezenagu
Chinese manufacturers are curiously looking to Africa to offload stocks of solar panels, batteries, EVs and other green technologies amid mounting export restrictions on entering Europe and the United States.
And, as Beijing cuts down on lending for big infrastructure projects, its narrowed focus gives more prominence to green energy sectors in which it has invested heavily in recent years.
China committed $4.6 billion new loans to African countries in 2023, according to data from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center.
The figure represented an increase from 2022 and the first annual increase since a 2016 peak, but it was still less than half of what was committed annually between 2013 and 2018.
Notably, about $500 million of Chinese loans to African countries in 2023 went to hydropower and solar projects.
China has inked several green infrastructure deals with African countries at its triennial summit in Beijing, making the energy transition a focal point in the $50 billion it has pledged to the continent.
The three-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which began on Sept. 4, has seen Beijing unveil a series of major partnerships with African countries in areas including supply chains for key minerals required to develop green technologies including electric vehicles.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a speech on Thursday, said his country will provide more than $50 billion in financial support to Africa over the next three years.
This is up from a $40 billion commitment made at the last FOCAC held in Dakar, Senegal in 2021 but down from the $60 billion committed in 2018, the last time it was held in Beijing.
At the US-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House in December 2022, the Biden administration promised a total of $55 billion in a mix of existing and new deals with African countries.
Nigeria’s government signed an agreement with China’s Mutual Commitment Group to assemble electric tricycles in Nigeria.
The firm will also establish a training and testing center in Nigeria for solar and other renewable energy technologies.
China on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zambia and Tanzania to modernize the Tazara railway which runs from central Zambia and terminates at the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
The move would establish an alternative cargo route for the transportation of copper and cobalt from Zambia via the Indian Ocean and will be rivaling the US-backed Lobito Corridor project which terminates at Angola’s Lobito port on the Atlantic coast.
China and South Africa also announced plans to expand cooperation in renewable energy, energy storage, transmission and distribution. And, in a joint statement, they said they would co-host a new energy investment conference.
Angola is pushing Beijing to increase its financing for the country to import more Chinese-made green technologies, including solar panels and electric cars.
In the run up to FOCAC, Angola’s Finance Minister Vera Daves De Sousa told Reuters that it was considering competing bids from Europe and China to develop and diversify its economy in exchange for access to its market.
“We will buy more solar panels from Europe because the financing is coming from there,” Daves de Sousa explained on Tuesday.
While the oil and mineral rich nation has been the continent’s largest beneficiary of Chinese loans over the past decade, it is also looking to replace the debts with more “private-sector engagement and through public-private partnerships”.
“We need to think outside the box, because the plain vanilla solution of ‘you give me money, I’ll give you collateral’ is done,” she said.

Brazil’s Industry Federation calls for business, cultural ties with Nigeria

Business News

By Okorie Uguru The Federation of Industries (FIRJAN), Brazil, an association of Brazilian businessmen and women based in Rio de Janeiro has called for greater cultural ties between Brazil and Nigeria. The call was made during a presentation at the International Business and EXPO 2024 in Lagos organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), by the Director Mr. Mauro Varejão during the discussion segment focused on Brazil. M Varejao said strengthening economic and cultural ties with Nigeria through FIRJAN will help in advancing business relationships between the two countries which have been growing over the last five years, particularly in the oil sector, agribusiness, and import/export activities, and also in the area of tourism and culture.  He also discussed the potential for collaboration in the construction industry and stressed the importance of a Nigeria-Brazil partnership to develop more industries in Nigeria with Brazil’s support. In a remark, Mr Gabriel Idahosa, President of LCCI, said the deepening of the economic relationship between Brazil and Nigeria was long overdue, adding that the chamber had been in communication with the Brazilian government through the embassy to facilitate contacts with Brazilian industries. This means the visit of FIRJAN is timely. Mr. Ajoyemi Osunleye of African Pride Company, Brazil, who also spoke at the event, said that for the upcoming G20 summit in November, the African Pride Company, Brazil, plans to partner with FIRJAN to host a side event to welcome Nigeria’s President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, LCCI representatives, and other industrialists and entrepreneurs from Nigeria. He emphasized that the cultural similarities between Nigeria and Brazil will play a crucial role in fostering a new era of economic growth. During the discussion, it was also highlighted that while a full cargo ship from Brazil to Nigeria takes 15 days, a ship from China to Nigeria takes 32 days, meaning  a cargo ship from Brazil could make a round trip to Nigeria before one from China even arrives, underscoring the potential benefits of enhancing the Nigeria-Brazil trade relationship. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Consul General of Brazil in Lagos, Ambassador Miguel Franco, representatives from various foreign embassies in Nigeria, and captains of industry were among the participants at the event.

Nigeria Not Listed Among African Nations Involved In Bribery In Business 

Business News

Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria is obviously missing in the list of countries in Africa where corruption through bribery in business operations is endemic.
According to Transparency International, bribery remains one of the most pervasive forms of corruption worldwide. However, in many African countries, where institutional oversight may be weaker, the practice can take on greater dimensions, affecting everything from tender processes to cross-border investments.
Although it is said that bribery in business is not unique to Africa, but the risks can be particularly high in a region with less stringent regulatory frameworks.
On the continent, Equatorial Guinea tops the list with the highest bribery risk, scoring 87 and ranking 191st globally.
For many businesses, the line between ethical practices and survival can can become blurred when bribery becomes a common part of the landscape.
The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix which evaluates business bribery risks globally, provides insights into how various African countries perform in terms of business bribery.
This report assesses 194 jurisdictions, territories, and regions, giving each a risk score based on four key areas: Business Interactions with Government, Anti-Bribery Deterrence and Enforcement, Government and Civil Service Transparency, and Capacity for Civil Society Oversight, including media involvement.
The overall country risk score is a combined and weighted measure of these domains.
“The business community plays a central role in the effort to reduce corruption,” TRACE President Alexandra Wrage said. “By maintaining high ethical standards in their direct engagement with civil servants and government leaders, multinational companies can help countries improve governance. Companies, however, need to understand the sources and multifaceted character of corruption to better target risk.”
In Africa, Equatorial Guinea tops the list with the highest bribery risk, scoring 87 and ranking 191st globally. South Sudan follows with a score of 81, placing 189th worldwide, while the Republic of Congo is next with a score of 79, ranking 187th globally.

Scientists make terrifying discovery after seeing Great White eating rival shark for first time ever

Science and Health

Scientists have made a worrying discovery about Great White sharks, which suggests they could be turning to cannibalism and attacking their own species.As an apex predator, Great white sharks have long been seen as one of the biggest predators in the ocean, hunting both humans and other marine life alike. However, new research suggests they are not against targeting shark breeds.Marine scientists came to the conclusion after a pregnant female porbeagle shark was recovered in the Bermuda triangle, which injuries that were consistent with that of a shark attack.(SWNS)The discovery has since been deemed a significant one, with Dr Brooke Anderson, of Arizona State University saying the killing is the first of its kind.”This is the first documented predation event of a porbeagle shark anywhere in the world,” she said in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.However, the killing is more devastating than evidence of savagery on behalf of the Great whites, as Porbeagle sharks are classified as an endangered species.Explaining the significance of the finding, she continued: “In one event, the population not only lost a reproductive female that could contribute to population growth, but it also lost all her developing babies.”On average, Porbeagle sharks don’t reproduce until around 13 years of age, giving birth to an average of four pups every one to two years. With a reproductive cycle at this speed, Porbeagles cannot replenish their population if targeted by predators as well as recreational fishing, bycatch and habitat loss.”If predation is more widespread than previously thought, there could be major impacts for the porbeagle shark population that is already suffering due to historic overfishing,” she added.(SWNS)In order to understand their migration patterns further, Anderson and her team captured Porbeagles and fitted them with satellite tags, which track their location, before being re-released.Among the tagged sharks was a pregnant Porbeagle. Whose the data suggested she had been attacked and eaten by a large predator, with the tracker later floating to the surface of the ocean.”The predation of one of our pregnant porbeagles was an unexpected discovery,” Dr Anderson said, adding that the shark was either killed by a Great white or a Shortfin mako shark.“We need to continue studying predator interactions, to estimate how often large sharks hunt each other,” she added.”This will help us uncover what cascading impacts these interactions could have on the ecosystem.”

POSTCARD MEMORIES: Marsh hay was big business locally

Business News

Today, the Holland Marsh is famed for its vegetable production. However, the first harvests here were not of potatoes, carrots, onions, or garlic. Instead, it was a wild grass known as marsh hay.

When the first settlers arrived, the Holland Marsh looked nothing like arable farmland. The cultivated fields of black soil are the result of 20th-century human engineering. In its original form, the marsh was a landscape of swamp and brackish ponds and beaver meadow atop mud so deep it could swallow a man. Sunlight was filtered by a dark, tangled forest of tamarack, alder, cedar and shrubs.

The wetlands were fed by the Holland River, a slow-moving and sometimes almost stagnant waterway that ran about 29 kilometres from its source near Schomberg before emptying into Lake Simcoe. Lake Simcoe essentially acted as a reservoir for the Holland Marsh during dry periods, ensuring the soil always remained thick with moisture.

To the early settlers of the area, the marsh was economically useless. One couldn’t farm the quagmire-like soil, and the trees were of limited value for timber even if they could somehow have been extracted. Wild game and fish were the only resources harvested from the region for decades.

Things changed suddenly in the 1880s, when it became apparent the marsh held a resource that was previously unappreciated. Marsh hay, also known as swamp grass or seagrass, grew extensively through the water-ladened meadows.

Growing to a height of three feet, the wild grass has a rough texture like sandpaper. It was discovered the resilient nature of the grass made it an ideal packing material for chinaware, glassware, and other fragile items. In addition, it was found damp marsh hay could be twisted into rope and, when dry, would keep its ‘curl.’ The curled hay was ideal for stuffing inexpensive mattresses. Suddenly, the Holland Marsh had economic value, and enterprising locals sought to take advantage.

Harvesting marsh hay became a thriving industry in the area. The hay was cut initially by hand with a scythe and carried out on a man’s shoulders. It was a time-consuming and laborious activity. Later, however, things improved immeasurably when someone hit upon the idea of securing snowshoe-like rectangular wooden pads, called ‘boots,’ to horses’ hooves. This allowed horses to operate in the marsh, pulling sleds and mowers.

The hay was shipped via barge to docks at Bradford or Holland Landing and then taken to Toronto. The business grew from modest beginnings in the 1880s to a peak in 1914, when as much as 12,000 acres of marsh hay was being harvested along the Holland River.

By the 1920s, marsh hay harvesting was dying out as an industry as better alternatives for mattress stuffing and packing material became available.

Today, few are aware marsh hay was ever a commodity.

New Kent State hall an innovative hub for business education

Business News

KENT, Ohio – Kent State University this week announced the opening of a new hall on campus.Located along East Main Street, the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship serves both as an innovative hub for business education and also as a new campus gateway.The $83.5 million building stands four stories and spans 150,000 square feet. The building was designed by architecture firms Perkins + Will and The Collaborative and is part of a $1 billion master plan that will transform the university’s facilities over the next decade, according to the university.Crawford Hall construction was funded by a $28 million gift from Ambassador Edward F. Crawford and his family. Crawford served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland from 2019-2021.The building was designed to offer several collaboration spaces, including the Walter G. and Judy A. Van Benthuysen Collaboration Staircase and the Donald S. and Johnna F. Grant Atrium, which can host speakers, career fairs and events. Located on the building’s ground floor is the Robert M. and Janet L. Archer Trading Lab. The lab features a curved LED display, which displays stock-ticker-style live business information. Students can access Bloomberg terminals and other financial software in the lab.Located on the ground floor of Crawford Hall, The Robert M. and Janet L. Archer Trading Lab offers students access to Bloomberg terminals and other financial software.Megan Becka, special to cleveland.comAdditional building highlights include:A 360-degree global forumA tiered business theaterLabs for trading, data analytics, entrepreneurship and sales trainingClassroomsThe Commerce Café, which offers food and beveragesCrawford Hall also houses the Student Success Center, which offers students academic and career services.A grand opening for the hall is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., according to the university.Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com’s Rubber City Update, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Wednesdays.

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Tree. Table. Book.’ by Lois Lowry

Arts & Culture, Books

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now. In honor of the start of school, Ask a Bookseller is focused on recommendations for kids and teens — although Kristin Nilsen of Big Hill Books in Minneapolis recommends this middle-grade read for everybody. “Tree. Table. Book.” by Lois Lowry.Clarion BooksIt’s the newest title from Lois Lowry, called “Tree. Table. Book.” You might know Lowry for her novels “Number the Stars” and “The Giver,” which won Newbery Medals in 1990 and 1994, respectively. Now age 87, Lowry has written a new book that Kristin says deserves to be in Newbery contention.The story follows two Sophies who live on the same street and are friends. Narrator Sophie is 11 years old. Her friend “big Sophie” is 88. Young Sophie begins to hear the grown-ups in her life expressing concerns that big Sophie is no longer able to live on her own. They want her to have a cognition test, to ascertain whether she has dementia.Young Sophie is determined to keep her friend in her home, and so sets about helping big Sophie study for the cognition test. In the test, a person must remember and repeat a series of three words. (The title “Tree. Table. Book.” comes from this test.) Over the course of their studies, big Sophie begins telling her friend stories of when she was a little girl growing up in Poland at the start of WWII when the Nazis came. These are stories she’d never told anyone before, not even members of her own family.When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.

Selena Gomez becomes a billionaire aged 32 after clever business idea

Business News

Selena Gomez is ‘slaying’ her way to billionaire status after achieving the incredible milestone aged just 32.The Only Murders in the Building actor who rose to fame on the Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place is now worth a whopping $1.3 billion (£990 million).As well as being a successful singer and the most followed woman in the world on Instagram, Selena has got involved in a number of business ventures on the way.Selena Gomez is now a billionaire (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)In 2020, she launched Rare Beauty and has now become one of the ‘youngest female self-made billionaires’, according to Bloomberg.The brand emphasises mental health awareness and inclusivity, as well as cosmetics.Her stake in the company, which is known for their liquid blush and lip products, is estimated to be over a billion dollars.And over 80 percent of her wealth is reportedly from Rare Beauty.Speaking about the company in 2023 on KIIS-FM, she said: “I really tried my hardest to create a product that were beyond just me putting my name on something.Selena is now worth $1.3 (£990 million) (Christopher Polk/NBC/NBC via Getty Images)“I wanted the products to be great, and I also wanted the message to be that makeup is meant to be fun.”However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in August, she claims that acting will always be her main priority.“Acting has, and will always be, my heart,” the Emmy-nominated star – who features in Only Murders In The Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short – said.“There’s so much that I want to do and that I haven’t even scratched the surface of, and it’s exciting to me.”On season four of the show, which dropped earlier this month, she added: “I think this is our most exciting season yet.She is the most followed woman in the world on Instagram (@selenagomez/Instagram)”That’s what I would definitely say with confidence, because it was far too fun. How it came together was so magical.”Everyone had a blast. And people are in for a ride, you know. Taking us to L.A. and then doing all the other stuff is exciting.”It’s going to be, to date, probably my favourite season.”Season four follows the aftermath of Sazz’s murder, Charles’ (Steve Martin) former stunt double played by Jane Lynch. We get to find out whether Sazz was the intended target or if the true aim was Charles.This comes after the trio heads to Hollywood, where a movie adaptation of their podcast is in production.The likes of Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifianakis all feature, as well as Meryl Streep, who appeared in season three.Only Murders in the Building is available to watch on Disney Plus now.