Scientists are baffled by a mysterious asteroid that orbits backward around the planet Jupiter. According to them, this is the first “interstellar immigrant” from outside our solar system which will apparently stick around for a while. A new study, which the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society recently published, says that the official name of the asteroid is 2015 BZ509, and it is 2-mile wide. Apart from this, it is reportedly in retrograde, meaning that it appears to orbit in the opposite direction of the other planets in our solar system.

According to Dr. Fathi Namouni, the lead author of the study, the team is yet to figure out how this unusual asteroid came to move like that on Jupiter’s orbit. Had the asteroid been a native object from our solar system, it should have moved like all the other planets. This proves that it is not from here, but from somewhere beyond. The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System actually first spotted the object back in November 2014. Since then, experts have wondered for how long it has been in our solar system.

The bizarre, retrograde asteroid from beyond our solar system

Now, after entire years of research, scientists think that they might have figured out an answer. The asteroid probably has around 4.5 billion years since it has been here. It’s interesting that this discovery comes only a few months after experts have discovered another interstellar guest, the first one, and they called it Oumuamua. This is a Hawaiian name meaning “messenger from afar arriving first.”

However, Oumuamua is only a visitor passing by and saying hi, whereas the retrograde asteroid has been here for a very long time. Also, it doesn’t look like it is planning to leave anytime soon. Its discovery might imply that there are other interstellar objects in our solar system that are yet to be found.

Image source: flickr

Museums and conservators are doing the best they possibly can to either restore or maintain art pieces that sometimes are valuable beyond words. Sadly, time touches everything and even masterpieces are usually attacked by bugs, lost in storages, burned or even looted by enemies. Unfortunately, for these very reasons, certain masterpieces were lost, and this is the reason why we must do everything to protect the ones we still have. This is what digital production company Factum Arte is now trying to do through a seven-part series called Mystery of the Lost Paintings, now airing on Sky Arts.

The artists and technicians working on these masterpieces are using digital forensics in order to recreate seven valuable art pieces that were damaged during the 20^th century. Among those are Johannes​ Vermeer’s The Concert, stolen from a museum in 1990, Vincent van Gogh’s Six Sunflowers, damaged in a raid near Osaka, Japan, during World War II, and one of Monet’s water lilies, almost destroyed in a fire back in 1958. It’s interesting that each individual art piece required a different set of investigations by the team.

Art masterpieces restored using digital forensics

For example, in order to perfectly reconstruct van Gogh’s painting, the team scanned an existing sunflower painting. The idea was to gather details about the strokes that the artist used and the speed he painted with. For the Vermeer painting, the team used some scans from high-quality art books which the team then enlarged and printed. The next step was to paint over the prints to make sure that they captured the details perfectly.

Other such masterpieces included the allegorical painting belonging to Gustav Klimt called Medicine. The 1928 Tamara de Lempicka painting called Myrto, which depicts two naked women, was also among the pieces meant for restauration. The last piece that the team worked on was the famous 1954 portrait of Winston Churchill by Graham Sutherland. The piece was burned at the order of Churchill’s wife who didn’t like it. Thankfully, the Factum Arte team managed to restore this one to its former glory too.

Image source: flickr

ESA’s Gaia space observatory released its astounding second set of data.

The European Space Agency (ESA) space observatory Gaia satellite released its second set of data (dubbed DR2) late last month. It was a significant event as it provided people with the biggest map of the galaxy collected as of yet. This contains an astounding 1.7 billion stars.

This second data set is the result of 22 months of work, but Gaia’s mission has been conducted over the past five years. Using astrometry, it has scanned each star about 70 times. In doing so, the Gaia telescope measured their positions and how they move. This allowed specialists to construct an actual image of our galaxy.

The Gaia Satellite and Its Impressive Mission

All of this would have been impossible in the very recent past. The sheer amount of computing technology needed for this is enormous. Also, a mere century ago, scientists could not even define precisely what our galaxy was or how it ended, let alone construct the sort of detailed map that the DR2 has managed to create.

“The observations collected by Gaia are redefining the foundations of astronomy,” states the mission’s science director, Günther Hasinger.

Gaia’s space mission began in 2013, with its first set of data being released in 2016. This “only” featured about 2 million stars. In the statement that accompanied DR2, ESA explained that this second data set covers the period in between July 2014 and May 2016. With a “much greater precision”, it helps pin down the positions of almost 1.7 billion stars.

It is said that, for some of the brighter stars, the level of precision is equivalent to someone on Earth “being able to spot a Euro coin lying on the surface of the moon.”

Not only is Gaia’s data now available to scientists, but ESA scientists have even gone as far as to create a virtual reality demonstration of the new data.

This is all inspiring news for us Earthlings, as we learn more about the vast cosmos and how it functions.

Image Source: Wikimedia 

Papua New Guinea warriors dressed in ancestral attire for a cultural celebration.

The most prestigious choice of weapon for hand-to-hand combat among the people of New Guinea was once a bone fashioned from a human femur. Not only was this fierce weapon a symbol of high social status – it was found to be a superior blade by researchers from Dartmouth College.

Anthropologists recently ran a series of intensive tests on daggers made from human bones comparing them to another common bone weapon used by New Guinea warriors – blades fashioned from cassowary bones. A cassowary is a large flightless bird native to the jungles of New Guinea.

Known for their aggressive behavior towards humans, it also seems that New Guinea societies used to raise, capture, and event gift cassowaries. 

The Differences Between the Human and Bird Blades Used by the New Guinea Warriors

By all measures, weapons made from human femurs produced more lethal results than those from animal bones. They were an extremely effective weapon for severing arteries, but could also be used as a lever with which to thrust, twist, and puncture the neck of an opponent.

Perhaps even more important than providing a tactical advantage to its user, human bone weapons were an important marker of prestige among those who possessed them. The femur daggers recovered by anthropologists are veritable works of art. They are carved with symbols and decorations meant to relay significant cultural meanings.

The decorative nature of daggers made from human bones points to the importance of what scientists call the “signaling theory.”

This is a concept within social and biological sciences that denotes methods to transmit underlying traits with adaptive value. In short, a fancy, tricked-out weapon signaled to others that its owner was a person to be reckoned with.

The authors of the study published their results in a paper in the journal of the Royal Society Open Science. The lead author and researcher of the project is Dartmouth College’s Nathaniel J. Dominy. He called the human femur weapons, “fierce-looking, beautiful and formidable.”

New Guinea warriors and their weapons made from human bones and cassowary bones were first introduced and presented to the world by a German anthropologist, Leonhard Schultze-Jena, in 1914.

Image Source: MaxPixel

It should no longer be a secret that the Moon is responsible for the tides we have on Earth. Its gravitational draws water to and from coasts. This movement also creates a weak magnetic field that surrounds our planet. As they ebb and flow, the salt waters are able to create a magnetic signal. However, recently, some satellites have managed to map this mysterious magnetic field in detail. This is why the results of the European Space Agency mission impressed everyone at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2018 that took place in Vienna, Austria. The team dubbed this field the “swarm”.

According to expert Nils Olsen, scientists have found it very difficult to track this magnetic field simply because it is so small. It actually measures about 2-2.5 nanotesla at satellite altitude. This is 20,000 times weaker than our planet’s global magnetic field. The hot liquid iron that is in the Earth’s outer core is what generates the majority of its magnetism. However, the ocean field also generates a much smaller magnetic signal, making an important contribution to the overall signal of the Earth.

A second magnetic field surrounding the Earth

According to an official statement, this newly-discovered magnetic field offers a glimpse into how the ocean actually flows at all depths. Moreover, thanks to it, experts might be able to understand more about climate change and the electrical activity from inside the Earth. Olsen says that it’s important to track how the heat from the air is being distributed. This way, we might find out more about how and why our climate is continuously changing.

The “swarm” will most probably help experts understand what is going on with the electricity inside Earth’s lithosphere and upper mantle. Moreover, the team can now find out more about tectonic activity that triggers earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Image source: flickr

Starting with April, sky gazers should be able to observe the Jupiter triangle.

This month will give us another reason to look up at the night sky. We can add the Jupiter triangle on the list of astronomical events we shouldn’t miss. The giant of the Solar System will meet two bright stars, and they will all arrange in a beautiful triangle-shaped formation.

As long as you take care to stay away from light pollution, you will be able to see this beautiful formation with the naked eye. 

The Jupiter Triangle or the Gas Giant and Its Two Bright Stars Companions 

If you’re on the look for rare astronomical events this month, you will definitely see the Jupiter triangle. The planet will be followed by the Hilda group that contains two bright stars, Spica and Arcturus. These stars will perform orbit-shaped movements around Jupiter until they create the triangle formation. 

The good news is you can’t really miss this formation on the sky. These two stars will perform their dance around the planet for an extended period of time, and the Jupiter triangle will stay visible up until September. Although Spica and Arcturus are bright stars, the brightest of all is actually our gas giant.  

The Formation to Remain Visible Until September 

The stars will perform several orbiting movements around Jupiter. Once every three completed orbits, they will form the triangle around Jupiter, painting a beautiful image on the night sky. Look for the Jupiter triangle in the eastern and southeastern side of the sky, anytime after 11 p.m. 

Fortunately, all the cosmic bodies that make up the Jupiter triangle are extremely bright. This means you won’t need any binoculars or other specialized equipment to peek at the astronomical formation.

However, this doesn’t mean you’ll always see it. Those who live in areas affected by light pollution will likely find it hard to discern any kind of stars in the night sky. 

Pay attention to the weather as well. If it’s rainy or extremely cloudy, you won’t be able to see the Jupiter triangle either. However, you’ll get plenty of occasions to spot the formation and enjoy its breathtaking beauty. 

Image Source: Wikimedia

While most people might remember J.R.R. Tolkien as the genius creator of the Middle Earth and The Lord of the Rings series, not many know that he was also a gifted illustrator. The covers for his books were designed by him, along with sketches of scenes and detailed maps of the fictional world that he used as setting for his famous novels. Now, according to a report, fans will have the chance to admire this other side of his talent, thanks to a major exhibition at Oxford’s Bodleian libraries. Apart from some incredible illustrations, the exhibition will also unveil three works that have never been seen before by anyone.

The exhibition called Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth will open this summer and it features a large collection of maps, letters, manuscripts and artworks that belonged to the legendary writer. The library will also release a catalogue which will include over 300 images of Tolkien’s art and which will be available in the United States in July. The official website of the exhibition reads that through this event, the library hopes to remind people once again what a mind Tolkien was and to reveal more about his incredible legacy as a writer, illustrator, linguist, and poet.

Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth

In the artworks, fans will be able to see Tolkien’s brilliant fantastical creatures drawn in vibrant colors. These materials also include scenes starring Bilbo Baggins, the elves, the dragon Smaug and the Elvish city of Kôr. Tolkien illustrated the city specially to serve as inspiration for his book The Silmarillion.

The three never-before-seen works are of a different nature, however. One features a drawing of bamboo from the 1960s. Another one displays a geometric design with Elvish lettering, even if the works did not have anything to do with his books. This proves how passionate Tolkien was about the world and languages he created.

Image source: wikimedia

Just imagine how amazing would it be to have the incredible hearing abilities of a cat. Well, if you are one of those people who would love to have super-hearing, we have some good news for you. It seems that a team of scientists is developing an extremely thin device, the size of an atom, that can receive and transmit signals across a radio frequency a lot greater than that of normal human hearing. The researchers at Case Western Reserve University in the United States are currently trying to develop this so-called “drumhead” device.

The idea is for it to be 100,000 thinner and a trillion times smaller in volume than the normal human eardrum. According to the researchers, should this development be successful, it could lead to the next generation of sensory devices and ultra-low-power communications. They would all be a lot smaller and have greater tuning ranges and detection. It’s worth noting that human eardrums have the dynamic range of 60 to 100 dB. The range is between 10Hz and 10kHz. Our hearing decreases quickly outside of this frequency range.

Humans might soon have cat-like hearing

Philip Feng and his team are now trying to develop vibrating nanoscale drumheads made of atomic layers of semiconductor crystals. Their diameters are of only one micron. It’s interesting that the team has also managed to demonstrate the capability of these key components at the smallest scale possible right now.

According to them, only larger transducers operating at much lower frequencies have managed to attain that range. For example, the human eardrum. According to Feng, his team has managed to demonstrate that extremely small electromechanical drumhead resonators are able to offer a very broad dynamic range. The dynamic ranges at radio frequencies (over 120 MHZ), can be compared to the dynamic range of human hearing in audio bands.

Image source: pixabay

Egyptologist Ken Griffin from Swansea University was on the look for certain artifacts for his students to analyze, earlier this month. However, by accident, he stumbled upon an image of a relief carving in the storage of the school’s Egypt Centre. After looking at it, he realized that it must have been a very rare image of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. He immediately wanted to show his students the artifact and when they finally saw the limestone they were convinced that it was Hatshepsut.

Moreover, in an eerie coincidence, he made the discovery on March 8^th, the International Women’s Day. Everything about the carving screams that the pharaoh is indeed depicted on it. From the decorations to the hieroglyphs that use female pronouns. As for Griffin, who has put a lot of effort into studying Egyptian artifacts, the materials and the style in the carving were similar to those in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. So, taking this into account, it’s a mystery how the carving ended up in Swansea, England. Most probably, the carving was taken from the temple in the 19^th century, before its restauration began back in 1902.

A very rare carving of Hatshepsut, discovered

3,500 year-old stone carving found by accident at Welsh universityhttps://t.co/HfZkYQP2NG pic.twitter.com/144iux0knz

— Swansea Online (@SwanseaOnline10) March 25, 2018

In 1971, pharmaceutical magnate and collector Henry Wellcome donated the carving to the University’s Egypt Centre. It was not on display because nobody identified its value at the time. Now that this has happened, it will finally be put on display at the center, for everyone to see.

For a long time, Hatshepsut was nicknamed “the lost queen” because nobody knew about her existence. This happened because Thutmose III, her stepson, had her erased from history and took credit for all of her accomplishments. In mid-1800s, researchers finally found the truth about her when the Rosetta Stone allowed them to translate the hieroglyphs. So, her rule became known and she was once again, part of Egyptian history.

Image source: pexels

More than 50 years ago, researchers made a simple experiment. They asked more than 5,000 children to draw a scientist. They did not provide any other details like the sex, age, or the appearance of the scientist. When the children were done, researchers observed that only 28 kids drew female scientists. The results of this study were published in 1983.

But How Are Things Now?

Over the years, many other researchers tried the same study to see if anything changed. Now, a team of researchers looked at more than 70 of these studies. They focused on children from the US, and it appears that nowadays more children draw female scientists. Researchers mentioned that this change might have been caused by the fact that more female scientists appear in the media.

No matter the reason, this research shows that children’s stereotypes have changed. Between 1985 and 2017, the number of participants increased to 21,000. From these, more than 28% drew female scientists. Compared to boys, girls were more likely to draw women as scientists. More than 42% drew a female scientist and only 5% of boys did.

Good News for the Generations Today

Researchers mentioned that for both genders the number increased which is great news. This means that people are letting go of their stereotypes and teach children that women can have the same jobs as men. Another important finding was based on the age of the children. Kids before the age of 6 drew female and male scientists equally.

Once they reached elementary school, the number had changed. Fewer kids older than 6 drew women scientists. Researchers mentioned that it is important to stop the stereotypes before they develop in order for girls to understand that they can also become doctors, scientists, or researchers. Finally, boys also need to learn that they can choose any job they like, not one that fits a typically heteronormative society.