Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists have found the coldest exoplanet that is orbiting a dead star, also called a white dwarf. Named WD 1856+534 b, the exoplanet is a gas giant, located 81 light-years from Earth and sheds light on how planets evolve during the final stages of a star's life. Using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the JWST, the scientists stated that temperatures reached a frigid -125 degrees Fahrenheit (-87 degrees Celsius), making it the coldest planet ever directly observed. The researchers further confirmed that the exoplanet has a mass no greater than six times that of Jupiter and orbits the remnant core of a once sun-like star, every 1.4 days. Scientists added that it was the first intact exoplanet to have been found in the forbidden zone of a star.
The world's biggest solar telescope has captured the stunning details of the Sun's surface, showing sunspots and intense magnetic activity. The newly released image comes as the Sun moves towards its most active phase of its 11-year solar cycle. The high-resolution photograph, taken in early December, shows a collection of enormous sunspots only 10 kilometres apart in size but spanning thousands of miles. The image showed sunspots, each about the size of a continent on Earth. The high-resolution photograph, taken in early December, shows a collection of enormous sunspots only 10 kilometres apart in size but spanning thousands of miles. The image showed sunspots, each about the size of a continent on Earth. These sunspots are cooler, active areas on the Sun that can cause big solar explosions like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Japan's Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has pioneered a groundbreaking technology that claims to successfully trigger and draw lightning using a drone equipped with a lightning protection cage. This innovative method leverages electric field fluctuations to predict and potentially protect critical infrastructure from lightning strikes. With approximately 6,000 lightning bolts striking the ground worldwide every minute, this technology holds promise for revolutionising lightning protection and mitigating damage to cities and infrastructure globally. NTT's goal is to reduce damage caused by lightning strikes worldwide, with the ultimate aim of absorbing thundercloud energy and eliminating lightning strikes that reach the ground.
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could potentially replace weight loss drugs like Ozempic with a natural alternative. Researchers have identified a gut microbe, Bacteroides vulgatus, and its metabolites that can naturally regulate blood sugar levels and sugar cravings. The study found that increasing the abundance of this microbe in diabetic mice can stimulate the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels and feelings of fullness. GLP-1 is a natural hormone produced by the body, and its impaired function is often seen in people with type 2 diabetes. Drugs like Ozempic mimic this natural process, but researchers are now exploring ways to get the body to produce more GLP-1 on its own.
