Space News: Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet

 

Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet

Madhusudhan noted that there are various efforts underway 

searching for signs of life in our solar system.

By Reuters, April 17th, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-850400

An artist's depiction of a planet and its host star with a misaligned disk of material, and a binary companion in the background, 

is shown in this undated handout image. (photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt, K. Miller (Caltech/IPAC)/Handout via REUTERS)

In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes.

The two gases - dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS - involved in Webb's observations of the planet named K2-18 b are generated on Earth by living organisms, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton - algae.

This suggests the planet may be teeming with microbial life, the researchers said. They stressed, however, that they are not announcing the discovery of actual living organisms but rather a possible biosignature - an indicator of a biological process - and that the findings should be viewed cautiously, with more observations needed

Nonetheless, they voiced excitement. These are the first hints of an alien world that is possibly inhabited, said astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system, where we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect biosignatures in potentially habitable planets with current facilities. We have entered the era of observational astrobiology," Madhusudhan said.

An artist's concept shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. The illustration was released on September 11, 2023. (credit: NASA, CSA, ESA, J. Olmsted (STScI), Science: N. Madhusudhan (Cambridge University)/Handout via REUTERs)

Madhusudhan noted that there are various efforts underway searching for signs of life in our solar system, including various claims of environments that might be conducive to life in places like Mars, Venus and various icy moons.

K2-18 b is 8.6 times as massive as Earth and has a diameter about 2.6 times as large as our planet.

It orbits in the "habitable zone" - a distance where liquid water, a key ingredient for life, can exist on a planetary surface - around a red dwarf star smaller and less luminous than our sun, located about 124 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). One other planet also has been identified orbiting this star.

 A 'Hycean world'

About 5,800 planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, have been discovered since the 1990s. Scientists have hypothesized the existence of exoplanets called hycean worlds - covered by a liquid water ocean habitable by microorganisms and with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

Earlier observations by Webb, which was launched in 2021 and became operational in 2022, had identified methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18 b's atmosphere, the first time that carbon-based molecules were discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in a star's habitable zone.

"The only scenario that currently explains all the data obtained so far from JWST (James Webb Space Telescope), including the past and present observations, is one where K2-18 b is a hycean world teeming with life," Madhusudhan said. "However, we need to be open and continue exploring other scenarios."

Madhusudhan said that with hycean worlds, if they exist, "we are talking about microbial life, possibly like what we see in the Earth's oceans." Their oceans are hypothesized to be warmer than Earth's. Asked about possible multicellular organisms or even intelligent life, Madhusudhan said, "We won't be able to answer this question at this stage. The baseline assumption is of simple microbial life."

DMS and DMDS, both from the same chemical family, have been predicted as important exoplanet biosignatures. Webb found that one or the other, or possibly both, were present in the planet's atmosphere at a 99.7% confidence level, meaning there is still a 0.3% chance of the observation being a statistical fluke.

The gases were detected at atmospheric concentrations of more than 10 parts per million by volume.

"For reference, this is thousands of times higher than their concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere, and cannot be explained without biological activity based on existing knowledge," Madhusudhan said.

Scientists not involved in the study counseled circumspection.

"The rich data from K2-18 b make it a tantalizing world," said Christopher Glein, principal scientist at the Space Science Division of the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. "These latest data are a valuable contribution to our understanding. Yet, we must be very careful to test the data as thoroughly as possible. I look forward to seeing additional, independent work on the data analysis starting as soon as next week."

 Transit method

K2-18 b is part of the "sub-Neptune" class of planets, with a diameter greater than Earth's but less than that of Neptune, our solar system's smallest gas planet.

To ascertain the chemical composition of an exoplanet's atmosphere, astronomers analyze the light from its host star as the planet passes in front of it from the perspective of Earth, called the transit method. As the planet transits, Webb can detect a decrease in stellar brightness, and a small fraction of starlight passes through the planetary atmosphere before being detected by the telescope. This lets scientists determine the constituent gases of the planet's atmosphere.

Webb's previous observations of this planet provided a tentative hint of DMS. Its new observations used a different instrument and a different wavelength range of light.

The "Holy Grail" of exoplanet science, Madhusudhan said, is to find evidence of life on an Earth-like planet beyond our solar system. Madhusudhan said that our species for thousands of years has wondered "are we alone" in the universe, and now might be within just a few years of detecting possible alien life on a hycean world.

But Madhusudhan still urged caution.

"First we need to repeat the observations two to three times to make sure the signal we are seeing is robust and to increase the detection significance" to the level at which the odds of a statistical fluke are below roughly one in a million, Madhusudhan said.

"Second, we need more theoretical and experimental studies to make sure whether or not there is another abiotic mechanism (one not involving biological processes) to make DMS or DMDS in a planetary atmosphere like that of K2-18 b. Even though previous studies have suggested them (as) robust biosignatures even for K2-18 b, we need to remain open and pursue other possibilities," Madhusudhan said.

So the findings represent "a big if" on whether the observations are due to life, and it is in "no one's interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life," Madhusudhan said.

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

https://disqus.com/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM

Space News: Webb telescope documents alien planet's death plunge into a star

Webb telescope documents alien planet's death plunge into a star

The James Webb Space Telescope reveals that planets may spiral into their stars, rather than being swallowed by expanding red giants. This changes our understanding of planetary destruction.

By Reuters, April 13, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-849959

                                          Artist's impression of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. (photo credit: ESA)

In May 2020, astronomers for the first time observed a planet getting swallowed by its host star. Based on the data at the time, they believed the planet met its doom as the star puffed up late in its lifespan, becoming what is called a red giant.

New observations by the James Webb Space Telescope - sort of a postmortem examination - indicate that the planet's demise happened differently than initially thought. Instead of the star coming to the planet, it appears the planet came to the star, with disastrous consequences - a death plunge after an erosion of this alien world's orbit over time, researchers said.

The end was quite dramatic, as evidenced by the aftermath documented by Webb. The orbiting telescope, which was launched in 2021 and became operational in 2022, observed hot gas likely forming a ring around the star following the event and an expanding cloud of cooler dust enveloping the scene.

"We do know that there is a good amount of material from the star that gets expelled as the planet goes through its death plunge. The after-the-fact evidence is this dusty leftover material that was ejected from the host star," said astronomer Ryan Lau of the US National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal.

The star is located in our Milky Way galaxy about 12,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Aquila. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). The star is slightly redder and less luminous than our sun and about 70% of its mass.

The luminous, hot star Wolf-Rayet 124 (WR 124) is prominent at the center of the James Webb Space Telescope’s composite image combining near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths of light from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument. (credit: NASA)

Our solar system

The planet is believed to have been from a class called "hot Jupiters" - gas giants at high temperatures owing to a tight orbit around their host star.

"We believe it probably had to be a giant planet, at least a few times the mass of Jupiter, to cause as dramatic of a disturbance to the star as what we are seeing," said study co-author Morgan MacLeod, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Jupiter is our solar system's largest planet.

The researchers believe that the planet's orbit had gradually deteriorated due to its gravitational interaction with the star, and hypothesized about what happened next.

"Then it starts grazing through the atmosphere of the star. At that point, the headwind of smashing through the stellar atmosphere takes over and the planet falls increasingly rapidly into the star," MacLeod said.

"The planet both falls inward and gets stripped of its gaseous outer layers as it plows deeper into the star. Along the way, that smashing heats up and expels stellar gas, which gives rise to the light we see and the gas, dust and molecules that now surround the star," MacLeod said.

But they cannot be certain of the actual fatal events.

"In this case, we saw how the plunge of the planet affected the star, but we don't truly know for certain what happened to the planet. In astronomy there are lots of things way too big and way too 'out there' to do experiments on. We can't go to the lab and smash a star and planet together - that would be diabolical. But we can try to reconstruct what happened in computer models," MacLeod said.

None of our solar system's planets are close enough to the sun for their orbits to decay, as happened here. That does not mean that the sun will not eventually swallow any of them.

About five billion years from now, the sun is expected to expand outward in its red giant phase and could well engulf the innermost planets Mercury and Venus, and maybe even Earth. During this phase, a star blows off its outer layers, leaving just a core behind - a stellar remnant called a white dwarf.

Webb's new observations are giving clues about the planetary endgame.

"Our observations hint that maybe planets are more likely to meet their final fates by slowly spiraling in towards their host star instead of the star turning into a red giant to swallow them up. Our solar system seems to be relatively stable though, so we only have to worry about the sun becoming a red giant and swallowing us up," Lau said.

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

https://disqus.com/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM

Defense News: Rafael Successfully Tests Typhoon 30 Remote Weapon System Against Aerial Threats

 

Rafael Successfully Tests Typhoon 30 Remote Weapon System Against Aerial Threats

The advanced field test showcased the system's ability to counter drones and highlighted its modular deployment 

By Eyal Boguslavsky, Israel Defense, 02/04/2025

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/64795

Photo: Rafael video screenshot

Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced that it has successfully conducted another advanced field test of its Typhoon 30 Remote Weapon Station (RWS) in Israel. The test focused on the system’s ability to counter unmanned aerial threats and demonstrated its modular deployment capabilities.

In its announcement, the company stated that the test showcased the system's enhanced ability to neutralize drones at various ranges and demonstrated its modular adaptability on a 20-foot modular surface.

RAFAEL Successfully Demos TYPHOON 30's C-UAS Capabilities (photo credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)

RAFAEL describes the Typhoon 30 as a combat-proven system that continues to evolve in response to operational needs across multiple environments. It is designed to protect critical infrastructure and military positions against a growing range of low-cost and easily deployed aerial threats.

The increasing threat posed by commercial and military-grade drones has driven many defense manufacturers to accelerate the development of short-range air defense systems. In October 2024, we reported that the Israeli Ministry of Defense was expediting the development of advanced interception technologies against UAVs. As part of this effort, the ministry conducted a first-of-its-kind operational test at a testing field in southern Israel, featuring participation from eight Israeli defense companies—including Elbit, IAI, and RAFAEL—which presented a variety of interception solutions, including Rafael’s Typhoon 30 system.

RAFAEL's TYPHOON 30 Weapon System Demonstrates Precision Against Drone Threats

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

https://disqus.com/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM

Science News: Megalodon shark may have reached 80 feet, new study finds

 

Megalodon shark may have reached 80 feet, new study finds

Megalodon sharks roamed the seas between 20 million and 3.6 million years ago.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, March 16th, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-846197

an illustration of a shark being eaten by an even larger shark Scientists have long assumed megalodons looked like big great white sharks, but new research suggests this is not the case (photo credit: Baris-Ozer via Getty Images)

The now-extinct megalodon shark may have been larger than first believed, reaching lengths of 80 feet (24.3 meters), according to a new study published in Palaeontologia Electronica last week. 

This is about the length of an eight-story building, meaning that megalodon sharks were about 4.5 meters longer than existing predictions. 

Megalodon sharks roamed the seas between 20 million and 3.6 million years ago. Despite this, no whole megalodon (Otodus megalodon) skeleton has ever been discovered, so most of the scientific research about them comes from fossils of their vertebrae scales and teeth.

"Previous estimates using teeth to predict its size had the shark reaching about 18-20 meters total length (59-65 feet)," co-author Phillip Sternes told Live Science. 

In the new study, however, researchers examined megalodon fossils and compared them to over 150 living and extinct shark species to try to build an image of the size of the giant shark. 

The researchers have developed a revised tentative body outline of a 80 foot megalodon (credit: DePaul University/Kenshu Shimada)

Part of the research involved comparing sections of the megalodon's trunk with the trunks of 145 modern and 20 extinct shark species. The largest megalodon fossil ever found is a 36-foot-long (11 m) section of its spine.

The researches based the estimations on the assumption that the megalodon was roughly proportional to other shark species, and then extrapolated from the 36 feet (11 meter) trunk section, to estimate that it may have had a 6 feet (1.8 meter) long head and 3.6 meter long tail, making it a total of 54 feet (16.4 meters)

Assuming that the megalodon was roughly proportional to the majority of other shark species, and extrapolating from the 36-foot (11 m) trunk section, the researchers estimated that this individual shark may have had a 6-foot-long (1.8 m) head and 12-foot-long (3.6 meter) tail, giving it a total length of 54 feet (16.4 meters).

Megalodon shark jaws and teeth at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

However, one discovered megalodon vertebra measured much longer - at 9 inches (23 centimeters) in diameter — 3 inches (7.6 cm) bigger than the largest vertebra from the 54-foot shark.

Using this figure, this vertebra most likely belonged to a megalodon that measured in at 80 feet long.

Appearance of the megalodon

The study also found that the live offspring of the megalodon may have been 12 to 13 feet (3.6 to 3.9 m) long.

The teeth of megalodon sharks are similar to that of modern-day great white sharks, as both are similarly serrated. This led scientists to believe that the megalodon resembled a great white.

"Previous studies simply assumed that megalodon must have looked like a gigantic version of the modern great white shark without any evidence," study lead author Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiology professor at DePaul University in Chicago, told Live Science.

However, new research found that the megalodon was more likely slender and streamlined.

Based on the revised maximum body size, as well as hydrodynamic models of how creatures like whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), basking sharks (Cetorhinus Maximus), and whales move through the water, the researchers decided that the megalodon was more similar in build to a lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris).

Jaws (1975) - You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat Scene (4/10) 

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

https://disqus.com/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM

How a new wave of fighter jets could transform aerial combat

APRIL 1, 2025, by D. Bacci, The Conversation

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-fighter-jets-aerial-combat.html

Unpiloted aircraft could act as "wingmen" to support piloted sixth generation jets. 

Credit: US Air Force

The most advanced fighter jets in the world are known as "fifth generation." They contain technologies developed in the first part of the 21st century. Examples of fifth generation fighter jets include America's F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, China's Chengdu J-20 and Russia's Sukhoi SU-57.

Now, however, nations are moving ahead with the sixth generation of combat jets. In the past few months, China has flown its J36 and J50 prototype jets. Meanwhile, the US has selected Boeing to build a new fighter aircraft called the F-47.

As with previous generations, the sixth will incorporate major advances in aircraft design, onboard electronics (avionics) and weapon systems.

But how will the new generation of jets stand out from the previous one? Future combat jets will not see dramatic increases in maximum speed, nor in flight performance. Instead, the true innovations will be in how these systems operate and achieve dominance in aerial combat.

Like the fifth generation, the sixth will be dominated by stealth technology. This helps fighters jets to reduce their chances of being detected by infrared and radar sensors, to the point that when their signatures are eventually picked up, the opponent has no time to act.

Stealth is achieved through particular shapes of airframe (such as diamond shapes) and coatings on the aircraft—called radar absorbing materials. The airframe is the fundamental structural framework of an aircraft, encompassing the fuselage, wings, tail assembly and landing gear.

The diamond-like shapes that already characterize fifth generation jets are likely to remain in the upcoming generation of fighter, but they will evolve.

A common feature we're likely to see is the reduction or complete removal of vertical tails at the back of the aircraft and their control surfaces. In current aircraft, these tails provide directional stability and control in flight, allowing the aircraft to maintain its course and maneuver.

However, sixth generation jets could achieve this control with the help of thrust vectoring—the ability to manipulate the direction of engines and therefore the direction of thrust (the force that moves the jet through the air).

The role of vertical tails could also be partially replaced by devices called fluidic actuators. These apply forces to the wing by blowing high speed and high pressure air on different parts of it.

The removal of the vertical tails would contribute to the fighter's stealth. The new generation of fighters is also likely to see the use of novel radar absorbing materials with advanced capabilities.

We'll see the introduction of what are known as adaptive cycle engines on sixth generation fighters. These engines will feature what's known as a three stream design, which refers to the airstreams blowing through the engine. Current jets have two airstreams: one that passes through the core of the engine, and another that bypasses the core.

The development of a third stream provides an extra source of air flow to increase the engine's fuel efficiency and performance. This will allow both the capability to cruise efficiently at supersonic speed and deliver a high thrust during combat.

It is likely that China and the US will build two separate fighters with different airframes. One will have a bigger airframe, designed for use in an area like the Pacific Ocean region. Here, the ability to fly further and carry a heavier payload will be key, because of the distances involved. Airframes designed for this region will therefore be larger.

Another fighter jet carrying a smaller airframe will be designed for use in areas such as Europe where agility and maneuverability will be more important.

The next wave of jets will have a system in the cockpit that gathers lots of information from other aircraft, ground surveillance stations and satellites. It would then integrate this data to give an enhanced situational awareness to the pilot. This system would also able to actively jam enemy sensors.

Another key feature will be the deployment of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (Ucavs), a form of drone aircraft. The piloted fighter jet would be able to control a variety of Ucavs, ranging from loyal wingmen to cheaper, unpiloted fighter jets that will assist the mission, including protecting the piloted fighter.

This will all be the responsibility of something called the advanced digital cockpit, a software-driven system that will use virtual reality and allow the pilot to effectively become a battle manager. Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a key feature of the support systems for the drones. This will allow them to be controlled with complete autonomy. The pilot will assign the main task—such as, "attack that enemy jet in that sector"—and the system will carry out the mission without any further input.

Another advancement will be the weapon systems, with the adoption of missiles that not only will be capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds, but will also incorporate stealth features. This will further reduce the reaction times of enemy forces. Directed energy weapons systems, such as laser weapons, could potentially appear in later stages, as this technology is under study.

Under America's sixth generation fighter program, the US Navy is working on a separate jet called the F/A-XX, complementing the F-47.

The UK, Italy and Japan are also working on a jet project known as the global combat air program (GCAP). This will replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in service with the UK and Italy and the Mitsubishi F-2 in service with Japan.

Germany, Spain and France are working on a fighter program called the future combat air system (FCAS). This could supersede Germany and Spain's Typhoons and France's Rafale.

The path for sixth generation fighter jets seems to have already been traced, but uncertainties remain. The feasibility of some of the characteristics described and development times and costs are not yet well defined. This interval of time was more than ten years for fifth generation fighter jets—and the sixth is going to be far more complex in terms of requirements and capability.

A new generation of fighter jet is expected to remain on active duty for something like 30 years. But warfare across the world evolves rapidly. It is unclear whether the design requirements we are fixing today remain relevant over the coming years.

Recommend this post and follow

Sputnik's Orbit

home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

Science News: Ancient ecosystem uncovered beneath Antarctic glacier collapse

 

Ancient ecosystem uncovered beneath Antarctic glacier collapse

Scientists uncover a thriving ecosystem beneath an Antarctic glacier, 

revealing corals, octopuses, and giant sea spiders untouched for centuries.

By Walla, March 30, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-

An octopus rests on the seafloor at a depth of 1,150 meters in the Bellingshausen Sea off Antarctica, in an area where the edge of the shelf and the slope are carved by several underwater channels. (photo credit: Screenshot, ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute)

Scientists have recently uncovered a wondrous and vibrant underwater world, previously hidden beneath a massive glacier in Antarctica.

The glacier, covering an area of about 510 sq.km. — roughly three and a half times the size of Tel Aviv-Yafo —detached from the George VI Ice Shelf in January 2025, revealing a thriving seafloor never before seen by humans.

Among the fascinating creatures discovered were icefish, giant sea spiders, and octopuses — evidence of the astonishing biodiversity that endures even under the most extreme conditions.

The enormous glacier, now named A-84, broke away from the ice shelf in the Bellingshausen Sea—a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean along the western edge of the Antarctic Peninsula — while scientists were aboard the research vessel R/V Falkor, operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

When the dramatic event occurred, the research team swiftly altered their plans to seize the rare opportunity to explore the newly exposed depths.

Patricia Esquete examines a suspected new species of isopod collected from the Bellingshausen Sea seafloor. It will take researchers years to classify all the new species discovered during this expedition. (credit: Screenshot, Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute)

“We seized the moment and changed the expedition plan to explore what lies beneath,” said Dr. Patricia Esquete, a senior scientist with the research mission from the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies at the University of Aveiro in Portugal.

Over the course of eight days, the team explored the seafloor at depths reaching 1,300m. using an advanced underwater robot named ROV SuBastian. They discovered large coral reefs and sponge fields teeming with marine life — a thriving ecosystem that had managed to flourish despite the extreme cold and darkness.

Antarctica’s floating ice shelves hang over the sea like massive platforms, making access to the seafloor beneath them a major challenge for scientists. Typically, deep-sea creatures depend on organic matter sinking from the sunlit upper layers of the ocean.

A beautiful and lively ecosystem

However, this ecosystem — sealed beneath 150m. of ice for hundreds of years — developed in a unique way. “We did not expect to find such a beautiful and lively ecosystem,” said Dr. Esquete. “Given the size of the animals, it appears these communities have existed here for decades, maybe even centuries.”

Researchers believe that ocean currents may bring nutrients beneath the ice shelf, allowing these creatures to survive.

The exact process remains unclear, but the team hopes further studies will provide answers. “We originally came to this area to study the interface between the ice and the sea,” explained Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

“Being there right as the glacier calved was a rare scientific opportunity that gave us a first glimpse into the untouched beauty of nature.”

This discovery highlights the hidden wonders of our world and reminds us how much there is still to learn about nature — even in the coldest and most remote corners of the Earth, like Antarctica.

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

https://disqus.com/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM

Space News: James Webb telescope reveals oxygen in galaxy from 13.4 billion years ago

 

James Webb telescope reveals oxygen in galaxy from 13.4 billion years ago

Light from JADES-GS-z14-0 has taken 13.4 billion years to reach Earth, revealing a chemically mature galaxy when the universe was less than 300 million years old.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, March 28, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/science/science-around-the-world/article-847805

James Webb telescope reveals oxygen in galaxy from 13.4 billion years ago.

(photo credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambrid)

Recent studies have detected oxygen in the most distant galaxy ever recorded, JADES-GS-z14-0, challenging existing theories about early cosmic development. The findings were published by two teams separately: the first study, led by Italian researchers, appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics, while the second, led by Dutch researchers, is online on the arXiv platform and pending publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Astronomers using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) identified oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0, a galaxy so distant that light from it has taken about 13.4 billion years to reach Earth. This means researchers observed the galaxy as it existed when the universe was less than 300 million years old, approximately 2% of its current age.

The detection of oxygen is causing the astronomical community to rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early universe. "It's like finding a teenager where you would only expect to find babies," said Sander Schouws, a PhD student at Leiden Observatory and first author of one of the studies, referring to JADES-GS-z14-0's unexpected maturity.

Previously, scientists believed that the universe at that time was too young to form galaxies rich in heavy elements. However, JADES-GS-z14-0 was found to be chemically more mature than expected, indicating rapid chemical evolution. This suggests that stars in the early universe were born, died, and dispersed heavy elements into their surroundings much faster than previously thought.

"They opened a new view on the first phases of galaxy evolution," said Stefano Carniani from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, referring to the rapid maturation of JADES-GS-z14-0.

The presence of oxygen allows astronomers to measure the distance to the early galaxy more accurately, confirming its extreme distance with an uncertainty of just 0.005%, as reported by Digital Trends. "Thanks to ALMA, we obtained an extremely precise measurement with an uncertainty of just 0.005%, equivalent to 5 centimeters over a distance of 1 kilometer," said Eleonora Parlanti, a PhD student at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and author of one of the studies.

"I was really surprised by this clear detection of oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0," said Gergö Popping, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, according to The Independent.

The findings suggest that galaxies formed much faster than expected in the early universe, raising new questions about the development of the early cosmos. "The evidence of a mature galaxy in the infant universe raises questions about when and how galaxies formed," said Carniani.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) played a crucial role in this discovery, revealing that galaxies appeared earlier and were more luminous than anticipated. "While the galaxy was originally discovered with the James Webb Space Telescope, it took ALMA to confirm and precisely determine its enormous distance," said Rychard Bouwens of Leiden Observatory.

Astronomers are eager to understand how galaxies like JADES-GS-z14-0 could have matured so quickly. "It seems we are about to witness a paradigm shift in the models of the universe's evolution, and this is very exciting," said Andreu Font-Ribera from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) in Barcelona.

The unexpected discovery reveals the synergy between the JWST and ALMA in studying the formation and evolution of the first galaxies. "Together, we can study the formation and evolution of the first galaxies," said Bouwens.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED BY SPUTNIK ONE OF THE SPUTNIKS ORBIT BLOG

TTPS://DISQUS.COM/HOME/FORUM/THESPUTNIKSORBIT-BLOGSPOT-COM