Jan. 17, 2025
Cosmic Radio Mysteries, Moon's Water Origins, and IO's Volcanic Heart: S28E08
SpaceTime Series 28 Episode 08
Origins of Fast Radio Bursts Unveiled
Astronomers have pinpointed the source of fast radio bursts, specifically linking them to magnetars, a type of highly magnetic neutron star. This breakthrough, reported in Nature,...
SpaceTime Series 28 Episode 08
Origins of Fast Radio Bursts Unveiled
Astronomers have pinpointed the source of fast radio bursts, specifically linking them to magnetars, a type of highly magnetic neutron star. This breakthrough, reported in Nature, was achieved by analysing the scintillation of FRB2022 1022A, indicating its proximity to a magnetar within 10,000 kilometres. This discovery sheds light on the mysterious phenomenon, suggesting that all fast radio bursts might originate from similarly extreme environments.
Lunar Water's Terrestrial Origins
A groundbreaking study reveals that much of the Moon's water may have originated from early Earth. By examining Apollo-era lunar samples with a high precision triple oxygen isotope technique, scientists discovered a dual heritage of lunar water, tracing back to both proto-Earth and cometary impacts. This finding offers new insights into the Earth-Moon system's formation 4.5 billion years ago.
Juno's Insights into IO's Volcanism
NASA's Juno mission has uncovered that Jupiter's moon IO's volcanoes are powered by individual magma chambers rather than a global magma ocean. This revelation, stemming from Juno's close flybys and gravitational measurements, highlights the unique geological dynamics of the solar system's most volcanically active body. The findings provide a deeper understanding of tidal flexing and its effects on celestial bodies.
00:00 Astronomers have finally narrowed down the source of those mysterious fast radio bursts
08:01 New study shows much of moon's water originates on early proto Earth
10:32 Scientists with NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter have discovered volcanoes on IO
16:33 There now seems to be more carbon stored in human made stuff than natural world
18:41 Study shows each of the Disney princesses could have exposed themselves to illnesses
19:40 Alaska Triangle has highest recorded numbers of paranormal incidents in the world
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
www.bitesz.com
🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. Enjoy incredible discounts and bonuses! Plus, it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌
Check out our newest sponsor - Old Glory - Iconic Music and Sports Merch and now with official NASA merchandise. Well worth a look...
Become a supporter of this Podcast for as little as $3 per month and access commercial-free episodes plus bonuses: https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support.
Origins of Fast Radio Bursts Unveiled
Astronomers have pinpointed the source of fast radio bursts, specifically linking them to magnetars, a type of highly magnetic neutron star. This breakthrough, reported in Nature, was achieved by analysing the scintillation of FRB2022 1022A, indicating its proximity to a magnetar within 10,000 kilometres. This discovery sheds light on the mysterious phenomenon, suggesting that all fast radio bursts might originate from similarly extreme environments.
Lunar Water's Terrestrial Origins
A groundbreaking study reveals that much of the Moon's water may have originated from early Earth. By examining Apollo-era lunar samples with a high precision triple oxygen isotope technique, scientists discovered a dual heritage of lunar water, tracing back to both proto-Earth and cometary impacts. This finding offers new insights into the Earth-Moon system's formation 4.5 billion years ago.
Juno's Insights into IO's Volcanism
NASA's Juno mission has uncovered that Jupiter's moon IO's volcanoes are powered by individual magma chambers rather than a global magma ocean. This revelation, stemming from Juno's close flybys and gravitational measurements, highlights the unique geological dynamics of the solar system's most volcanically active body. The findings provide a deeper understanding of tidal flexing and its effects on celestial bodies.
00:00 Astronomers have finally narrowed down the source of those mysterious fast radio bursts
08:01 New study shows much of moon's water originates on early proto Earth
10:32 Scientists with NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter have discovered volcanoes on IO
16:33 There now seems to be more carbon stored in human made stuff than natural world
18:41 Study shows each of the Disney princesses could have exposed themselves to illnesses
19:40 Alaska Triangle has highest recorded numbers of paranormal incidents in the world
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
www.bitesz.com
🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. Enjoy incredible discounts and bonuses! Plus, it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌
Check out our newest sponsor - Old Glory - Iconic Music and Sports Merch and now with official NASA merchandise. Well worth a look...
Become a supporter of this Podcast for as little as $3 per month and access commercial-free episodes plus bonuses: https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support.
The Astronomy, Space, Technology & Science News Podcast.
1
00:00:00,392 --> 00:00:04,215
This is Space Time Series 28,
Episode 8, for broadcast on the
2
00:00:04,616 --> 00:00:09,700
17th of January 2025. Coming up
on Space Time, finally the
3
00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,863
discovery of the origins of fast
radio bursts, the link between
4
00:00:13,943 --> 00:00:18,347
Lunar Water and Earth's early
history, and NASA's Juno mission
5
00:00:18,547 --> 00:00:23,151
uncovers the heart of the Jovian
Moon IO's volcanic rage. All
6
00:00:23,171 --> 00:00:25,853
that and more coming up on Space
Time.
7
00:00:27,214 --> 00:00:28,976
Welcome to Space Time.
8
00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:30,257
With Stuart Gary.
9
00:00:46,491 --> 00:00:48,953
Astronomers have finally
narrowed down the source of
10
00:00:48,973 --> 00:00:52,196
those mysterious fast radio
bursts, or at least one of them.
11
00:00:52,460 --> 00:00:55,522
Discovering that it really did
originate around a rapidly
12
00:00:55,602 --> 00:00:59,985
spinning highly magnetic neutron
star known as a magnetar. Fast
13
00:01:00,065 --> 00:01:02,687
radio bursts are sudden
high-energy flashes at very
14
00:01:02,747 --> 00:01:06,049
specific wavelengths lasting
just a nanosecond or two and
15
00:01:06,069 --> 00:01:08,071
originating at cosmic distances.
16
00:01:08,631 --> 00:01:11,573
But in that short space of time,
they can release more energy
17
00:01:11,653 --> 00:01:15,576
than a half billion suns. The
very first fast radio burst was
18
00:01:15,616 --> 00:01:19,879
discovered back in 2007 in data
from the Parkes Radio Telescope
19
00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:23,749
in New South Wales. At first,
most were singular events,
20
00:01:23,969 --> 00:01:27,050
occurring just once at a
specific location and then never
21
00:01:27,110 --> 00:01:27,491
again.
22
00:01:28,151 --> 00:01:30,712
And that suggested they were
probably being caused by some
23
00:01:30,732 --> 00:01:34,574
sort of cataclysmic event, such
as a supernova. But astronomers
24
00:01:34,594 --> 00:01:37,215
are now detecting more and more
fast radio bursts that have
25
00:01:37,255 --> 00:01:40,416
repeated from the same location.
That suggests a very different
26
00:01:40,456 --> 00:01:40,857
cause.
27
00:01:41,557 --> 00:01:44,658
Feeding black holes, glitching
neutron stars and highly
28
00:01:44,758 --> 00:01:47,800
magnetized neutron stars called
magnetars have all been
29
00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:51,885
suspected. And it could be, in
fact, that all fast radio bursts
30
00:01:51,905 --> 00:01:54,506
are repeaters, just that some
are a lot more active than
31
00:01:54,586 --> 00:01:58,207
others. Now a report in the
journal Nature has pinned down
32
00:01:58,247 --> 00:02:01,488
the origins of at least one fast
radio burst using a novel
33
00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:04,329
technique that could be used to
find the origins of more.
34
00:02:04,949 --> 00:02:10,350
The study's authors focused on
FRB 2022-1022A, a previously
35
00:02:10,411 --> 00:02:13,611
discovered fast radio burst that
was detected in a galaxy about
36
00:02:13,651 --> 00:02:17,028
200 million light-years away.
They were able to zero in
37
00:02:17,168 --> 00:02:20,409
further more precisely to
determine the exact location of
38
00:02:20,389 --> 00:02:24,050
the radio signal by analysing
its scintillation, similar to
39
00:02:24,070 --> 00:02:25,951
how stars twinkle in the night
sky.
40
00:02:26,591 --> 00:02:28,972
The authors studied changes in
the fast radio burst's
41
00:02:29,012 --> 00:02:32,252
brightness and determined that
the burst must have originated
42
00:02:32,292 --> 00:02:35,613
in the immediate vicinity of its
source rather than much further
43
00:02:35,673 --> 00:02:37,094
out, as some models predicted.
44
00:02:37,654 --> 00:02:42,555
The team estimates that FRB
2022-1022A erupted in a region
45
00:02:42,595 --> 00:02:46,036
that's extremely close to a
rotating neutron star. 10,000
46
00:02:46,076 --> 00:02:49,739
kilometres away at most. Now,
that's less than the distance
47
00:02:49,779 --> 00:02:53,321
between New York and Singapore.
And at such close range, it
48
00:02:53,321 --> 00:02:55,903
means the burst probably emerged
from the neutron star's
49
00:02:55,983 --> 00:02:59,485
magnetosphere, a highly magnetic
region immediately surrounding
50
00:02:59,525 --> 00:03:01,046
the ultra-compact object.
51
00:03:01,526 --> 00:03:04,448
The study's lead author Ken
Zinimo says that in such
52
00:03:04,508 --> 00:03:07,410
environments of neutron stars,
the magnetic fields are really
53
00:03:07,410 --> 00:03:10,508
at the limits of what the
universe can produce. In fact,
54
00:03:10,528 --> 00:03:12,689
there's been a lot of debate
about whether such a bright
55
00:03:12,749 --> 00:03:16,010
radio emission could even escape
from such an extreme plasma
56
00:03:16,090 --> 00:03:16,730
environment.
57
00:03:17,330 --> 00:03:20,491
You see, atoms can't really
exist around these highly
58
00:03:20,571 --> 00:03:23,572
magnetic neutron stars. They'd
simply be torn apart by the
59
00:03:23,572 --> 00:03:27,193
magnetic fields. But it seems
that the energy stored in these
60
00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:30,174
magnetic fields, close to the
source, is twisting and
61
00:03:30,194 --> 00:03:33,335
reconfiguring in such a way that
it can be released as radio
62
00:03:33,435 --> 00:03:35,836
waves visible halfway across the
universe.
63
00:03:36,864 --> 00:03:39,785
Detections of fast radio bursts
have ramped up a lot in recent
64
00:03:39,845 --> 00:03:42,566
years, mostly due to the
Canadian Hydrogen Intensity
65
00:03:42,666 --> 00:03:46,787
Mapping Experimental CHIME. This
is a radio telescope array
66
00:03:46,867 --> 00:03:50,268
comprising four large stationary
receivers, each shaped like a
67
00:03:50,288 --> 00:03:53,529
half-pipe and tuned to detect
radio emissions within a range
68
00:03:53,569 --> 00:03:56,250
that's highly sensitive to fast
radio bursts.
69
00:03:56,950 --> 00:04:00,572
Since 2020, CHIME's detected
thousands of fast radio bursts
70
00:04:00,592 --> 00:04:04,085
from all over the sky. While
scientists generally agree that
71
00:04:04,085 --> 00:04:07,087
the bursts arise from extremely
compact objects, the exact
72
00:04:07,147 --> 00:04:09,289
physics driving them remains
unclear.
73
00:04:10,069 --> 00:04:12,371
Some models predict that they
should come from the turbulent
74
00:04:12,391 --> 00:04:15,193
magnetosphere immediately
surrounding the compact object,
75
00:04:15,413 --> 00:04:17,635
while others predict that the
bursts should originate much
76
00:04:17,715 --> 00:04:20,757
further out, as part of a
shockwave propagating out from
77
00:04:20,777 --> 00:04:21,718
the central object.
78
00:04:22,418 --> 00:04:25,420
So, to distinguish between the
two hypotheses, and determine
79
00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:28,903
exactly where fast radio bursts
arise, the authors considered
80
00:04:28,923 --> 00:04:31,904
the idea of scintillation. The
effect that occurs when light
81
00:04:31,924 --> 00:04:35,065
from a small bright source such
as a star filters through some
82
00:04:35,105 --> 00:04:38,866
sort of a medium such as a
galaxy's gas. We see the same
83
00:04:38,927 --> 00:04:40,247
thing happening here on Earth.
84
00:04:40,427 --> 00:04:43,428
As starlight features through
the gas of the atmosphere, it
85
00:04:43,508 --> 00:04:46,989
bends it in ways that make the
star appear to twinkle. And the
86
00:04:47,069 --> 00:04:50,250
smaller or further away the
object is, the more it twinkles.
87
00:04:51,010 --> 00:04:54,071
That's why light from larger,
closer objects such as planets
88
00:04:54,211 --> 00:04:56,672
experience less bending and
therefore don't appear to
89
00:04:56,692 --> 00:04:57,092
twinkle.
90
00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,341
The authors reasoned that if
they could estimate the degree
91
00:05:00,421 --> 00:05:03,042
to which a fast radio burst
scintillates, they could
92
00:05:03,062 --> 00:05:05,363
determine the relative size of
the region from where it
93
00:05:05,383 --> 00:05:08,665
originated. The smaller the
region, the closer the burst
94
00:05:08,725 --> 00:05:12,186
must be to its source, and the
more likely it is to have come
95
00:05:12,226 --> 00:05:14,487
from a magnetically turbulent
environment.
96
00:05:15,148 --> 00:05:17,669
On the other hand, the larger
the region, the further away the
97
00:05:17,669 --> 00:05:20,450
burst would be, giving more
support to the idea that fast
98
00:05:20,550 --> 00:05:24,092
radio bursts stem from far-out
shock waves. To test their
99
00:05:24,132 --> 00:05:28,953
hypothesis, the researchers
looked at FRB 2022-1022A. That's
100
00:05:28,953 --> 00:05:33,054
a fast radio burst first
detected by CHIME in 2022. The
101
00:05:33,114 --> 00:05:36,095
signal lasted about 2
milliseconds and was a
102
00:05:36,115 --> 00:05:39,056
relatively run-of-the-mill fast
radio burst in terms of its
103
00:05:39,116 --> 00:05:39,676
brightness.
104
00:05:40,356 --> 00:05:43,377
However, scientists at McGill
University found that FRB
105
00:05:45,138 --> 00:05:48,138
2022-1022A exhibited one
outstanding property. The light
106
00:05:48,178 --> 00:05:51,059
from the burst was highly
polarized, with the angle of
107
00:05:51,079 --> 00:05:54,060
polarization tracing a smooth
S-shaped curve.
108
00:05:54,660 --> 00:05:57,861
Now this pattern is interpreted
as evidence that the fast radio
109
00:05:57,921 --> 00:06:01,262
burst emission site is rotating,
a characteristic previously
110
00:06:01,322 --> 00:06:04,563
observed in pulsars, highly
magnetized rotating neutron
111
00:06:04,623 --> 00:06:10,064
stars. So, if FRB 2022-1022A
originated from close to a
112
00:06:10,084 --> 00:06:12,765
neutron star, the authors should
be able to prove this using
113
00:06:12,845 --> 00:06:15,946
scintillation. Nemo and
colleagues analyzed data from
114
00:06:16,026 --> 00:06:19,167
CHIME, observing steep
variations in brightness which
115
00:06:19,267 --> 00:06:20,427
signals scintillation.
116
00:06:20,807 --> 00:06:24,348
In other words, the fast radio
burst was twinkling. That means
117
00:06:24,388 --> 00:06:27,071
the authors had confirmed that
there was gas somewhere between
118
00:06:27,071 --> 00:06:30,133
the telescope and the fast radio
burst that was bending and
119
00:06:30,293 --> 00:06:31,734
filtering the radio waves.
120
00:06:32,355 --> 00:06:35,537
They then determined where this
gas was located, confirming that
121
00:06:35,537 --> 00:06:38,320
the gas within the fast radio
burst's host galaxy was
122
00:06:38,420 --> 00:06:42,083
responsible for some of the
scintillation. The gas acted as
123
00:06:42,103 --> 00:06:45,585
a sort of natural lens. Allowing
the researchers to zoom in on
124
00:06:45,565 --> 00:06:48,387
the fast radio burst site and
determine that the burst
125
00:06:48,447 --> 00:06:51,589
originated from an extremely
small region, estimated to be
126
00:06:51,669 --> 00:06:54,090
just around 10,000 kilometres
wide.
127
00:06:54,690 --> 00:06:58,172
Nemo says that means the FRB is
probably within hundreds of
128
00:06:58,212 --> 00:07:01,494
thousands of kilometres from the
source, and on cosmic scales,
129
00:07:01,594 --> 00:07:05,777
that's extremely close. Now for
comparison, one would expect the
130
00:07:05,877 --> 00:07:08,839
signal would be far more than
tens of millions of kilometres
131
00:07:08,879 --> 00:07:11,180
away were it to originate from a
shockwave.
132
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,001
And under those conditions you
wouldn't see any scintillation.
133
00:07:14,541 --> 00:07:17,643
In other words, the results
clearly rule out the possibility
134
00:07:17,843 --> 00:07:22,465
that FRB 2022-1022A emerged from
the outskirts of a compact
135
00:07:22,545 --> 00:07:26,807
object. Instead, the study
proves for the first time that
136
00:07:26,827 --> 00:07:30,589
this fast radio burst originated
from very close to a neutron
137
00:07:30,689 --> 00:07:31,089
star.
138
00:07:32,009 --> 00:07:36,491
This is space-time. Still to
come, the link between Lunar
139
00:07:36,571 --> 00:07:40,174
Water and Earth's early history,
and NASA's Juno mission uncovers
140
00:07:40,194 --> 00:07:44,157
the heart of the Jovey Moon IO's
volcanic rage. All that and more
141
00:07:44,217 --> 00:07:46,359
still to come on Space Time.
142
00:08:01,771 --> 00:08:05,034
A new study has shown that much
of the Moon's water actually
143
00:08:05,074 --> 00:08:08,496
originated on the early
proto-Earth. The findings were
144
00:08:08,496 --> 00:08:10,518
reported in the Journal Of The
Proceedings Of The National
145
00:08:10,538 --> 00:08:13,720
Academy Of Sciences, analysed
water in nine samples from the
146
00:08:13,740 --> 00:08:17,202
Apollo-Era lunar missions using
a high-precision triple-oxygen
147
00:08:17,382 --> 00:08:18,422
isotope technique.
148
00:08:18,943 --> 00:08:22,465
The method separates water into
its various binding phases,
149
00:08:22,745 --> 00:08:27,008
loosely bound, tightly bound and
trapped within minerals. It does
150
00:08:27,108 --> 00:08:33,652
this through stepwise heating at
50°C, 150°C and at 1000°C.
151
00:08:34,916 --> 00:08:37,498
One of the study's authors,
Maxwell Thymans from the Vigier
152
00:08:37,598 --> 00:08:41,041
University in Brussels, says the
data provides crucial evidence
153
00:08:41,061 --> 00:08:44,684
that Lunar Water had a dual
heritage, one part originating
154
00:08:44,724 --> 00:08:47,707
from early Earth-like material
and another derived through
155
00:08:47,747 --> 00:08:51,450
cometary impacts. He says it's a
major step forward in
156
00:08:51,470 --> 00:08:53,612
unravelling where Lunar Water
comes from.
157
00:08:54,172 --> 00:08:56,954
The findings suggest that the
Moon inherited water tracing
158
00:08:57,014 --> 00:08:59,917
back to Earth's formation,
followed by later contributions
159
00:08:59,957 --> 00:09:02,899
from comet impacts delivering
the water reservoirs we see
160
00:09:02,979 --> 00:09:06,978
today. The Earth-Moon system was
created when a Mars-Sized
161
00:09:06,998 --> 00:09:09,681
planet, which we now call Theia,
slammed into the early
162
00:09:09,781 --> 00:09:13,624
proto-Earth some 4.5 billion
years ago, causing both bodies
163
00:09:13,664 --> 00:09:15,205
to melt into a magma ocean.
164
00:09:15,826 --> 00:09:19,088
Now eventually this all cooled
and coalesced to form the Earth
165
00:09:19,109 --> 00:09:22,631
as we have it today. And some of
the debris ejecta flung into
166
00:09:22,752 --> 00:09:25,594
orbit around the Earth from the
newly created planet eventually
167
00:09:25,614 --> 00:09:29,408
it created to form the Moon
sometime later. The study shows
168
00:09:29,428 --> 00:09:32,370
that the oxygen isotopic
composition closely matches
169
00:09:32,490 --> 00:09:35,771
enstatite chondrites, a
meteorite type believed to be
170
00:09:35,811 --> 00:09:37,432
one of the building blocks of
the Earth.
171
00:09:38,012 --> 00:09:41,214
But there are also clear signs
of cometary contribution, with a
172
00:09:41,234 --> 00:09:43,995
significant portion of Lunar
Water showing isotopic
173
00:09:44,075 --> 00:09:47,377
similarities to comets.
Interestingly, the findings also
174
00:09:47,517 --> 00:09:50,378
challenge the idea that the
majority of Lunar Water was
175
00:09:50,418 --> 00:09:52,399
produced through solar
interactions with lunar
176
00:09:52,479 --> 00:09:56,141
silicates, instead presenting a
far more complex mixing of
177
00:09:56,181 --> 00:09:56,701
sources.
178
00:09:57,425 --> 00:10:01,407
This is Space Time. Still to
come, NASA's Juno mission
179
00:10:01,467 --> 00:10:05,429
uncovers the heart of the Jovian
Moon IO's volcanic rage, and
180
00:10:05,469 --> 00:10:08,571
later in the science report, a
study looks at the sorts of
181
00:10:08,711 --> 00:10:11,672
illnesses Disney princesses
would have suffered were they
182
00:10:11,752 --> 00:10:15,254
real people. You can tell we're
in the silly season. All that
183
00:10:15,274 --> 00:10:17,775
and more still to come on Space
Time.
184
00:10:32,909 --> 00:10:35,571
Scientists with NASA's Juno
mission to Jupiter have
185
00:10:35,611 --> 00:10:38,993
discovered that the volcanoes on
Jupiter's Moon IO are each
186
00:10:39,113 --> 00:10:42,456
likely to be powered by their
own chamber of rolling hot magma
187
00:10:42,736 --> 00:10:46,939
rather than a single subsurface
magma ocean. The new findings
188
00:10:47,019 --> 00:10:50,521
reported in the journal Nature
solves a 44-year-old mystery
189
00:10:50,741 --> 00:10:54,264
about the subsurface origins of
the Moon's most demonstrative
190
00:10:54,324 --> 00:10:55,525
geological features.
191
00:10:56,209 --> 00:10:59,512
About the same size as the Earth
's Moon, IO is known as the most
192
00:10:59,572 --> 00:11:03,415
volcanically active body in our
solar system. It's home to an
193
00:11:03,475 --> 00:11:07,779
estimated 400 volcanoes,
blasting lava and plumes in
194
00:11:07,899 --> 00:11:11,783
seemingly continuous eruptions.
In fact, if you could live on
195
00:11:12,023 --> 00:11:14,585
IO, you wouldn't have weather
reports, you'd have geological
196
00:11:14,645 --> 00:11:18,328
reports, with mountain building
in the north and lava lakes
197
00:11:18,449 --> 00:11:19,469
forming in the east.
198
00:11:20,290 --> 00:11:24,378
IO was discovered by Galileo
Galilei in 1610. But it wasn't
199
00:11:24,478 --> 00:11:28,681
until the Voyager 1 flyby in
1979 that imaging scientist
200
00:11:28,741 --> 00:11:31,584
Linda Morabito from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in
201
00:11:31,644 --> 00:11:34,947
Pasadena, California first
identified a volcanic plume
202
00:11:35,027 --> 00:11:38,069
erupting from the surface of IO
in an image taken by the
203
00:11:38,109 --> 00:11:38,870
spacecraft.
204
00:11:39,530 --> 00:11:42,413
GENED principal investigator
Scott Bolton from the Southwest
205
00:11:42,453 --> 00:11:45,395
Research Institute in San
Antonio, Texas says since
206
00:11:45,435 --> 00:11:48,098
Morabito's discovery, planetary
scientists have been wondering
207
00:11:48,118 --> 00:11:51,220
about how the volcanoes are
being fed from lava underneath
208
00:11:51,220 --> 00:11:54,586
the surface. Were there shallow
oceans of white-hot magma
209
00:11:54,726 --> 00:11:57,827
fueling the volcanoes, or were
their sources far more
210
00:11:57,887 --> 00:11:58,727
localised?
211
00:11:59,487 --> 00:12:02,868
Scientists knew that data from
Juno's two very close flybys of
212
00:12:03,108 --> 00:12:06,349
IO could give fresh insights on
how this tortured little Moon
213
00:12:06,509 --> 00:12:10,070
actually worked. The Juno
spacecraft made extremely close
214
00:12:10,130 --> 00:12:14,812
flybys of IO in December 2023
and February 2024, getting to
215
00:12:14,812 --> 00:12:18,093
within 1,500 kilometres of its
pizza-faced surface.
216
00:12:18,761 --> 00:12:21,664
During these close approaches,
Juno communicated with NASA's
217
00:12:21,744 --> 00:12:24,146
Deep Space Communications
Network, acquiring
218
00:12:24,206 --> 00:12:27,208
high-precision dual-frequency
Doppler data, which was then
219
00:12:27,329 --> 00:12:30,411
used to measure IO's gravity by
tracking how it affected the
220
00:12:30,431 --> 00:12:31,853
spacecraft's acceleration.
221
00:12:32,353 --> 00:12:34,695
What the mission learned about
the Moon's gravity from these
222
00:12:34,715 --> 00:12:38,238
flybys revealed lots of details
about a phenomenon known as
223
00:12:38,278 --> 00:12:42,722
gravitational tidal flexing.
See, IO's extremely close to the
224
00:12:42,742 --> 00:12:46,545
mammoth Jupiter, the largest
planet in our solar system. And
225
00:12:46,585 --> 00:12:49,786
its elliptical orbit swings it
around the gas giant once every
226
00:12:49,907 --> 00:12:51,447
42 and a half hours.
227
00:12:52,167 --> 00:12:56,049
As this distance varies, so too
does Jupiter's gravitational
228
00:12:56,169 --> 00:12:59,210
pull on the Moon, which causes
the Moon to be relentlessly
229
00:12:59,370 --> 00:13:03,152
pulled and squeezed. The result
is an extreme case of
230
00:13:03,172 --> 00:13:06,553
gravitational tidal flexing,
friction from tidal forces
231
00:13:06,734 --> 00:13:10,415
generating internal heat. Bolton
says this constant flexing
232
00:13:10,535 --> 00:13:14,077
creates immense energy, which
literally melts portions of IO's
233
00:13:14,157 --> 00:13:14,777
interior.
234
00:13:15,549 --> 00:13:18,530
Now, if IO had a global magma
ocean, Bolton knew that the
235
00:13:18,630 --> 00:13:21,631
signal of its tidal deformation
would be much larger than a more
236
00:13:21,711 --> 00:13:23,551
rigid, mostly solid interior.
237
00:13:24,352 --> 00:13:27,853
So, depending on the results of
Juno's probing of IO's gravity
238
00:13:27,933 --> 00:13:30,853
field, Bolton and colleagues
were able to tell if a global
239
00:13:30,933 --> 00:13:34,975
magma ocean was indeed hiding
beneath its surface. The Juno
240
00:13:35,075 --> 00:13:37,995
team compared Doppler data from
their two flybys with
241
00:13:38,035 --> 00:13:41,056
observations from the agency's
previous missions to the Jovian
242
00:13:41,136 --> 00:13:43,557
system and from ground-based
telescopes.
243
00:13:44,137 --> 00:13:47,220
And they found that the tidal
deformation was consistent with
244
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,904
IO not having a shallow global
magma ocean. Juno's discovery
245
00:13:51,984 --> 00:13:55,707
that tidal forces don't always
create global magma oceans has
246
00:13:55,767 --> 00:13:58,409
implications for science's
understanding of other moons
247
00:13:58,489 --> 00:14:02,212
too, including Enceladus and
Europa, and even exoplanets and
248
00:14:02,292 --> 00:14:06,055
super-Earths. One of the teams
involved with the Juno mission
249
00:14:06,316 --> 00:14:07,837
are with the University Of
Leicester.
250
00:14:08,037 --> 00:14:11,200
The objectives of the Juno
mission are threefold.
251
00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,263
There is... A study of the
internal structure of the
252
00:14:15,303 --> 00:14:19,366
planet, how the mass is
distributed on the inside,
253
00:14:19,406 --> 00:14:23,509
whether there is a solid core or
not. Secondly, there is an
254
00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:27,072
objective to look deep within
the atmosphere of the planet,
255
00:14:27,512 --> 00:14:31,075
above the visible cloud tops
that you can see from Earth, to
256
00:14:31,395 --> 00:14:34,378
understand the structure of the
weather layers beneath the cloud
257
00:14:34,438 --> 00:14:38,063
tops. The origin of the Great
Red Spot and so forth.
258
00:14:38,844 --> 00:14:42,526
And thirdly, there is the
objective of looking at the
259
00:14:42,586 --> 00:14:46,207
origins of the planet's auroras,
which are the most intense
260
00:14:46,288 --> 00:14:49,689
auroras in the solar system. The
Earth, of course, has auroras
261
00:14:49,709 --> 00:14:53,351
around the pole, so does Saturn
and so does Jupiter, but Jupiter
262
00:14:53,351 --> 00:14:56,813
is by far the most powerful. And
we want to know the origin, the
263
00:14:56,813 --> 00:15:00,214
physical origin, that drives the
auroras. And the connection with
264
00:15:00,214 --> 00:15:02,276
the magnetic field at large
distances.
265
00:15:02,416 --> 00:15:04,997
The University Of Leicester's
involvement in the mission is
266
00:15:05,537 --> 00:15:10,320
through Professor Stan Cowley,
who is a science co-investigator
267
00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:12,901
on the main Juno science team.
268
00:15:13,161 --> 00:15:18,064
And that was because we had been
involved in theoretical studies
269
00:15:18,104 --> 00:15:22,667
of Jupiter's environment in the
immediate couple of years
270
00:15:22,727 --> 00:15:27,129
beforehand and had produced a
research paper that was
271
00:15:27,209 --> 00:15:28,870
published in 2001.
272
00:15:29,326 --> 00:15:35,008
Which has become the definitive
model of how Jupiter's auroras,
273
00:15:35,248 --> 00:15:39,329
or how we think Jupiter's
auroras are actually generated.
274
00:15:39,929 --> 00:15:44,270
And so when this mission was
being proposed to NASA, we were
275
00:15:44,270 --> 00:15:49,852
the go-to people to be involved
in the planning of the mission.
276
00:15:50,672 --> 00:15:54,033
If we want to understand the
solar system and how it formed,
277
00:15:54,493 --> 00:15:57,454
how it evolved over time, then
we need to understand Jupiter.
278
00:15:57,654 --> 00:16:01,235
We understand quite a lot about
Jupiter, but we don't know the
279
00:16:01,275 --> 00:16:05,937
details of the interior, whether
or not it has a core, how much
280
00:16:06,177 --> 00:16:08,318
water is contained in the
atmosphere.
281
00:16:08,739 --> 00:16:12,900
So the details are really,
really important. And due to
282
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,082
Juno's unique polar orbit, we
really have an opportunity for a
283
00:16:18,122 --> 00:16:21,644
step change in our knowledge. It
is a game changer. The results
284
00:16:21,664 --> 00:16:24,765
that will come from the Juno
mission will significantly
285
00:16:24,825 --> 00:16:28,142
enhance our knowledge of
Jupiter. Overall.
286
00:16:28,142 --> 00:16:30,623
And in that report from the
University Of Leicester, we
287
00:16:30,663 --> 00:16:34,745
heard from Professors Emma
Brunst and Stan Cowley. This is
288
00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:35,605
Space Time.
289
00:16:52,212 --> 00:16:54,513
And time now to take another
brief look at some of the other
290
00:16:54,553 --> 00:16:57,487
stories making use in science
this week. With a science
291
00:16:57,547 --> 00:16:57,987
report.
292
00:16:58,808 --> 00:17:01,811
There now seems to be more
carbon stored in human-made
293
00:17:01,851 --> 00:17:04,853
stuff on the planet than what
there is carbon in the natural
294
00:17:04,933 --> 00:17:08,456
world. The findings reported in
the journal Cell Report
295
00:17:08,496 --> 00:17:11,499
Sustainability looked at how
much carbon is stored in
296
00:17:11,539 --> 00:17:14,622
long-lasting products such as
plastics and buildings. The
297
00:17:14,642 --> 00:17:16,604
authors looked at the amount of
fossil carbon in the
298
00:17:16,664 --> 00:17:20,007
technosphere, that's the sum of
all human-made artifacts both in
299
00:17:20,127 --> 00:17:21,108
use and discarded.
300
00:17:21,748 --> 00:17:25,551
They estimate that some 8.4
billion tonnes of fossil carbon
301
00:17:25,671 --> 00:17:30,294
has been accumulated in the past
25 years, with approximately 0.4
302
00:17:30,334 --> 00:17:33,736
billion tonnes being added
annually. The authors say this
303
00:17:33,776 --> 00:17:37,237
has a huge potential to add to
greenhouse gas emissions if the
304
00:17:37,257 --> 00:17:39,879
carbon locked up in these
everyday objects were ever to be
305
00:17:39,979 --> 00:17:40,579
released.
306
00:17:42,260 --> 00:17:45,362
Researchers have shown that the
expected lifespan of a dementia
307
00:17:45,462 --> 00:17:48,404
patient after they've been
diagnosed varies dramatically
308
00:17:48,464 --> 00:17:51,525
depending on how old they are,
their gender and what type of
309
00:17:51,525 --> 00:17:54,908
disease they have. A report in
the British Medical Journal
310
00:17:55,068 --> 00:17:58,311
combined results from 261
studies, predominantly from
311
00:17:58,372 --> 00:18:00,974
Europe and North America,
looking at the lifespan of
312
00:18:01,014 --> 00:18:01,995
dementia patients.
313
00:18:02,556 --> 00:18:05,579
The authors say life expectancy
varies greatly depending on the
314
00:18:05,619 --> 00:18:09,523
situation, with women diagnosed
around 60 likely to live another
315
00:18:09,623 --> 00:18:13,708
8.9 years, while men diagnosed
in the mid-80s have an average
316
00:18:13,748 --> 00:18:15,850
life expectancy of just 2.2
years.
317
00:18:16,502 --> 00:18:19,623
Overall, researchers say
dementia reduced life expectancy
318
00:18:19,703 --> 00:18:23,464
by about two years for people
with a diagnosis at age 85,
319
00:18:23,724 --> 00:18:27,085
three to four years with a
diagnosis at age 80, and up to
320
00:18:27,165 --> 00:18:32,587
13 years with a diagnosis at age
65. 13% of people were admitted
321
00:18:32,587 --> 00:18:35,267
to a nursing home in the first
year after their diagnosis,
322
00:18:35,407 --> 00:18:39,969
increasing to a third at three
years and 57% at five years.
323
00:18:41,469 --> 00:18:43,810
Well, here's a study that proves
we're now in what journalists
324
00:18:43,830 --> 00:18:47,616
call the silly season. The study
has shown how, had they been
325
00:18:47,696 --> 00:18:50,799
real, each of the Disney fairy
tale princesses could have
326
00:18:50,859 --> 00:18:54,102
exposed themselves to all sorts
of harmful substances and
327
00:18:54,162 --> 00:18:56,645
illnesses, at least according to
their storylines.
328
00:18:57,285 --> 00:18:59,768
The findings reported in the
British Medical Journal show
329
00:18:59,828 --> 00:19:02,610
that Snow White, for example,
would have been at risk of heart
330
00:19:02,650 --> 00:19:05,733
disease and mental health issues
for her time locked away in a
331
00:19:05,753 --> 00:19:08,576
castle, and the long-term
lasting effects of eating a
332
00:19:08,596 --> 00:19:10,738
poisoned apple should also be
considered.
333
00:19:11,402 --> 00:19:14,744
Jasmine and Belle's proximity to
large animals could put them at
334
00:19:14,804 --> 00:19:16,886
risk of all sorts of
animal-borne diseases.
335
00:19:17,206 --> 00:19:20,148
Cinderella's exposure to dust
and magical glitter could cause
336
00:19:20,208 --> 00:19:23,290
lung diseases. Pocahontas's
penchant for diving off a
337
00:19:23,970 --> 00:19:26,392
250-metre-tall cliff would
undoubtedly have led to broken
338
00:19:26,452 --> 00:19:26,872
bones.
339
00:19:27,172 --> 00:19:30,850
Aurora's infinite sleep carries
the risk of heart disease. Mulan
340
00:19:30,850 --> 00:19:33,797
's familial pressures would have
led to mental health issues, and
341
00:19:33,857 --> 00:19:36,939
anyone climbing up Rapunzel's
hair would have likely caused
342
00:19:36,939 --> 00:19:38,000
her permanent hair loss and
scalp damage.
343
00:19:40,612 --> 00:19:43,133
And finally for this week, we're
looking at the mystery of the
344
00:19:43,153 --> 00:19:46,514
Alaska Triangle. It's a place
where travellers keep
345
00:19:46,574 --> 00:19:49,095
disappearing, and it just
happens to have the highest
346
00:19:49,136 --> 00:19:52,697
recorded numbers of paranormal
incidents in the world. But Tim
347
00:19:52,757 --> 00:19:55,438
Mendham from Australian Skeptics
wants to know, why are
348
00:19:55,438 --> 00:19:59,260
proponents of such zones so
geometrically challenged? Why
349
00:19:59,460 --> 00:20:01,080
are they always in triangles?
350
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,941
The Alaska Triangle is where
supposedly a lot of people have
351
00:20:04,002 --> 00:20:06,422
disappeared. Someone's
suggesting that anywhere between
352
00:20:06,563 --> 00:20:10,388
500 and 2,000 mysterious
disappearances a year. Just
353
00:20:10,408 --> 00:20:14,391
quite the national US average.
There's a lot of wild country in
354
00:20:14,411 --> 00:20:17,072
Alaska, and a lot of bears as
well. There's somewhere between
355
00:20:17,132 --> 00:20:20,354
500 and 3,000, so no one's
really quite sure. And they say
356
00:20:20,534 --> 00:20:22,916
it's a consistent flow of UFO
sightings.
357
00:20:22,936 --> 00:20:25,817
Someone's one with the other,
people mysteriously
358
00:20:25,877 --> 00:20:28,699
disappearing. A lot of UFO
sightings, they're being taken
359
00:20:28,739 --> 00:20:32,781
away. And in this triangle,
which is formed by joining up
360
00:20:33,042 --> 00:20:36,083
various known sites within
Alaska, the people keep
361
00:20:36,123 --> 00:20:37,985
disappearing, fair enough.
Someone says, you know, some of
362
00:20:37,985 --> 00:20:39,786
these things that have
disappeared, they actually find
363
00:20:39,806 --> 00:20:41,968
the bodies later on. And it's
sort of, yep, a bear.
364
00:20:42,249 --> 00:20:44,211
You can't say that's always
going to be the case. People
365
00:20:44,271 --> 00:20:48,554
might just freeze to death. It's
a wild place. So my problem is
366
00:20:48,554 --> 00:20:51,357
that with all these things, like
the Bermuda Triangle, the Japan
367
00:20:51,437 --> 00:20:53,679
Sea Triangle, the Alaska
Triangle, everyone has
368
00:20:53,739 --> 00:20:56,762
triangles. I think that's a bit
boring. It's a geometrically
369
00:20:56,862 --> 00:21:00,105
challenged, I call it. No one
has a horrifying hexagram or a
370
00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:00,946
dangerous project.
371
00:21:00,946 --> 00:21:02,127
Yeah, Alaska Parallelogram.
372
00:21:03,488 --> 00:21:06,589
Pointed out very rudely, a
mathematician with obviously a
373
00:21:06,609 --> 00:21:09,390
typical wacky sense of humor
that mathematicians have, that a
374
00:21:09,410 --> 00:21:11,751
dodecahedron is a
three-dimensional space whereas
375
00:21:11,771 --> 00:21:14,572
a triangle is two-dimensional. I
think it will, you know, UFOs up
376
00:21:14,552 --> 00:21:16,113
in the sky, UFOs down in the
water.
377
00:21:16,113 --> 00:21:18,354
You've really got to have a
three-dimensional shape these
378
00:21:18,374 --> 00:21:21,455
days to account for all these
things. And triangles just
379
00:21:21,535 --> 00:21:23,976
doesn't do it. And often the
case like the Bermuda Triangle,
380
00:21:23,976 --> 00:21:26,697
a lot of the examples that are
used, they never happened in the
381
00:21:26,757 --> 00:21:29,178
area they say they did. I think
Bermuda Triangle, there were
382
00:21:29,178 --> 00:21:31,379
some cases raised that actually
happened in the Pacific.
383
00:21:31,499 --> 00:21:33,060
Well, the Gulf Of Mexico anyway,
yeah.
384
00:22:07,024 --> 00:22:10,567
And that's the show for now.
Space Time is available every
385
00:22:10,647 --> 00:22:14,130
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
through Apple Podcasts, ITunes,
386
00:22:14,430 --> 00:22:18,814
Stitcher, Google Podcasts,
Pocket Casts, Spotify, Acast,
387
00:22:19,074 --> 00:22:23,157
Amazon Music, Bytes.Com,
SoundCloud, YouTube, your
388
00:22:23,237 --> 00:22:25,759
favorite podcast download
provider, and from
389
00:22:25,839 --> 00:22:27,901
spacetimewithstuartgarry.com.
390
00:22:28,662 --> 00:22:31,184
Space Time's also broadcast
through the National Science
391
00:22:31,224 --> 00:22:35,187
Foundation on Science Zone Radio
and on both IHeart Radio and
392
00:22:35,327 --> 00:22:36,128
TuneIn Radio.
393
00:22:36,816 --> 00:22:39,777
And you can help to support our
show by visiting the Space Time
394
00:22:39,857 --> 00:22:43,558
store for a range of promotional
merchandising goodies, or by
395
00:22:43,598 --> 00:22:46,859
becoming a Space Time patron,
which gives you access to triple
396
00:22:46,879 --> 00:22:50,040
episode commercial free versions
of the show, as well as lots of
397
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,221
bonus audio content which
doesn't go to air, access to our
398
00:22:53,261 --> 00:22:57,022
exclusive Facebook group and
other rewards. Just go to
399
00:22:57,062 --> 00:23:00,163
spacetimewithstuartgary.com for
full details.
400
00:23:01,023 --> 00:23:03,404
You've been listening to Space
Time with Stuart Gary.
401
00:23:04,124 --> 00:23:06,869
This has been another quality
podcast production from
402
00:23:07,010 --> 00:23:07,851
Bytes.Com.
00:00:00,392 --> 00:00:04,215
This is Space Time Series 28,
Episode 8, for broadcast on the
2
00:00:04,616 --> 00:00:09,700
17th of January 2025. Coming up
on Space Time, finally the
3
00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,863
discovery of the origins of fast
radio bursts, the link between
4
00:00:13,943 --> 00:00:18,347
Lunar Water and Earth's early
history, and NASA's Juno mission
5
00:00:18,547 --> 00:00:23,151
uncovers the heart of the Jovian
Moon IO's volcanic rage. All
6
00:00:23,171 --> 00:00:25,853
that and more coming up on Space
Time.
7
00:00:27,214 --> 00:00:28,976
Welcome to Space Time.
8
00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:30,257
With Stuart Gary.
9
00:00:46,491 --> 00:00:48,953
Astronomers have finally
narrowed down the source of
10
00:00:48,973 --> 00:00:52,196
those mysterious fast radio
bursts, or at least one of them.
11
00:00:52,460 --> 00:00:55,522
Discovering that it really did
originate around a rapidly
12
00:00:55,602 --> 00:00:59,985
spinning highly magnetic neutron
star known as a magnetar. Fast
13
00:01:00,065 --> 00:01:02,687
radio bursts are sudden
high-energy flashes at very
14
00:01:02,747 --> 00:01:06,049
specific wavelengths lasting
just a nanosecond or two and
15
00:01:06,069 --> 00:01:08,071
originating at cosmic distances.
16
00:01:08,631 --> 00:01:11,573
But in that short space of time,
they can release more energy
17
00:01:11,653 --> 00:01:15,576
than a half billion suns. The
very first fast radio burst was
18
00:01:15,616 --> 00:01:19,879
discovered back in 2007 in data
from the Parkes Radio Telescope
19
00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:23,749
in New South Wales. At first,
most were singular events,
20
00:01:23,969 --> 00:01:27,050
occurring just once at a
specific location and then never
21
00:01:27,110 --> 00:01:27,491
again.
22
00:01:28,151 --> 00:01:30,712
And that suggested they were
probably being caused by some
23
00:01:30,732 --> 00:01:34,574
sort of cataclysmic event, such
as a supernova. But astronomers
24
00:01:34,594 --> 00:01:37,215
are now detecting more and more
fast radio bursts that have
25
00:01:37,255 --> 00:01:40,416
repeated from the same location.
That suggests a very different
26
00:01:40,456 --> 00:01:40,857
cause.
27
00:01:41,557 --> 00:01:44,658
Feeding black holes, glitching
neutron stars and highly
28
00:01:44,758 --> 00:01:47,800
magnetized neutron stars called
magnetars have all been
29
00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:51,885
suspected. And it could be, in
fact, that all fast radio bursts
30
00:01:51,905 --> 00:01:54,506
are repeaters, just that some
are a lot more active than
31
00:01:54,586 --> 00:01:58,207
others. Now a report in the
journal Nature has pinned down
32
00:01:58,247 --> 00:02:01,488
the origins of at least one fast
radio burst using a novel
33
00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:04,329
technique that could be used to
find the origins of more.
34
00:02:04,949 --> 00:02:10,350
The study's authors focused on
FRB 2022-1022A, a previously
35
00:02:10,411 --> 00:02:13,611
discovered fast radio burst that
was detected in a galaxy about
36
00:02:13,651 --> 00:02:17,028
200 million light-years away.
They were able to zero in
37
00:02:17,168 --> 00:02:20,409
further more precisely to
determine the exact location of
38
00:02:20,389 --> 00:02:24,050
the radio signal by analysing
its scintillation, similar to
39
00:02:24,070 --> 00:02:25,951
how stars twinkle in the night
sky.
40
00:02:26,591 --> 00:02:28,972
The authors studied changes in
the fast radio burst's
41
00:02:29,012 --> 00:02:32,252
brightness and determined that
the burst must have originated
42
00:02:32,292 --> 00:02:35,613
in the immediate vicinity of its
source rather than much further
43
00:02:35,673 --> 00:02:37,094
out, as some models predicted.
44
00:02:37,654 --> 00:02:42,555
The team estimates that FRB
2022-1022A erupted in a region
45
00:02:42,595 --> 00:02:46,036
that's extremely close to a
rotating neutron star. 10,000
46
00:02:46,076 --> 00:02:49,739
kilometres away at most. Now,
that's less than the distance
47
00:02:49,779 --> 00:02:53,321
between New York and Singapore.
And at such close range, it
48
00:02:53,321 --> 00:02:55,903
means the burst probably emerged
from the neutron star's
49
00:02:55,983 --> 00:02:59,485
magnetosphere, a highly magnetic
region immediately surrounding
50
00:02:59,525 --> 00:03:01,046
the ultra-compact object.
51
00:03:01,526 --> 00:03:04,448
The study's lead author Ken
Zinimo says that in such
52
00:03:04,508 --> 00:03:07,410
environments of neutron stars,
the magnetic fields are really
53
00:03:07,410 --> 00:03:10,508
at the limits of what the
universe can produce. In fact,
54
00:03:10,528 --> 00:03:12,689
there's been a lot of debate
about whether such a bright
55
00:03:12,749 --> 00:03:16,010
radio emission could even escape
from such an extreme plasma
56
00:03:16,090 --> 00:03:16,730
environment.
57
00:03:17,330 --> 00:03:20,491
You see, atoms can't really
exist around these highly
58
00:03:20,571 --> 00:03:23,572
magnetic neutron stars. They'd
simply be torn apart by the
59
00:03:23,572 --> 00:03:27,193
magnetic fields. But it seems
that the energy stored in these
60
00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:30,174
magnetic fields, close to the
source, is twisting and
61
00:03:30,194 --> 00:03:33,335
reconfiguring in such a way that
it can be released as radio
62
00:03:33,435 --> 00:03:35,836
waves visible halfway across the
universe.
63
00:03:36,864 --> 00:03:39,785
Detections of fast radio bursts
have ramped up a lot in recent
64
00:03:39,845 --> 00:03:42,566
years, mostly due to the
Canadian Hydrogen Intensity
65
00:03:42,666 --> 00:03:46,787
Mapping Experimental CHIME. This
is a radio telescope array
66
00:03:46,867 --> 00:03:50,268
comprising four large stationary
receivers, each shaped like a
67
00:03:50,288 --> 00:03:53,529
half-pipe and tuned to detect
radio emissions within a range
68
00:03:53,569 --> 00:03:56,250
that's highly sensitive to fast
radio bursts.
69
00:03:56,950 --> 00:04:00,572
Since 2020, CHIME's detected
thousands of fast radio bursts
70
00:04:00,592 --> 00:04:04,085
from all over the sky. While
scientists generally agree that
71
00:04:04,085 --> 00:04:07,087
the bursts arise from extremely
compact objects, the exact
72
00:04:07,147 --> 00:04:09,289
physics driving them remains
unclear.
73
00:04:10,069 --> 00:04:12,371
Some models predict that they
should come from the turbulent
74
00:04:12,391 --> 00:04:15,193
magnetosphere immediately
surrounding the compact object,
75
00:04:15,413 --> 00:04:17,635
while others predict that the
bursts should originate much
76
00:04:17,715 --> 00:04:20,757
further out, as part of a
shockwave propagating out from
77
00:04:20,777 --> 00:04:21,718
the central object.
78
00:04:22,418 --> 00:04:25,420
So, to distinguish between the
two hypotheses, and determine
79
00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:28,903
exactly where fast radio bursts
arise, the authors considered
80
00:04:28,923 --> 00:04:31,904
the idea of scintillation. The
effect that occurs when light
81
00:04:31,924 --> 00:04:35,065
from a small bright source such
as a star filters through some
82
00:04:35,105 --> 00:04:38,866
sort of a medium such as a
galaxy's gas. We see the same
83
00:04:38,927 --> 00:04:40,247
thing happening here on Earth.
84
00:04:40,427 --> 00:04:43,428
As starlight features through
the gas of the atmosphere, it
85
00:04:43,508 --> 00:04:46,989
bends it in ways that make the
star appear to twinkle. And the
86
00:04:47,069 --> 00:04:50,250
smaller or further away the
object is, the more it twinkles.
87
00:04:51,010 --> 00:04:54,071
That's why light from larger,
closer objects such as planets
88
00:04:54,211 --> 00:04:56,672
experience less bending and
therefore don't appear to
89
00:04:56,692 --> 00:04:57,092
twinkle.
90
00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,341
The authors reasoned that if
they could estimate the degree
91
00:05:00,421 --> 00:05:03,042
to which a fast radio burst
scintillates, they could
92
00:05:03,062 --> 00:05:05,363
determine the relative size of
the region from where it
93
00:05:05,383 --> 00:05:08,665
originated. The smaller the
region, the closer the burst
94
00:05:08,725 --> 00:05:12,186
must be to its source, and the
more likely it is to have come
95
00:05:12,226 --> 00:05:14,487
from a magnetically turbulent
environment.
96
00:05:15,148 --> 00:05:17,669
On the other hand, the larger
the region, the further away the
97
00:05:17,669 --> 00:05:20,450
burst would be, giving more
support to the idea that fast
98
00:05:20,550 --> 00:05:24,092
radio bursts stem from far-out
shock waves. To test their
99
00:05:24,132 --> 00:05:28,953
hypothesis, the researchers
looked at FRB 2022-1022A. That's
100
00:05:28,953 --> 00:05:33,054
a fast radio burst first
detected by CHIME in 2022. The
101
00:05:33,114 --> 00:05:36,095
signal lasted about 2
milliseconds and was a
102
00:05:36,115 --> 00:05:39,056
relatively run-of-the-mill fast
radio burst in terms of its
103
00:05:39,116 --> 00:05:39,676
brightness.
104
00:05:40,356 --> 00:05:43,377
However, scientists at McGill
University found that FRB
105
00:05:45,138 --> 00:05:48,138
2022-1022A exhibited one
outstanding property. The light
106
00:05:48,178 --> 00:05:51,059
from the burst was highly
polarized, with the angle of
107
00:05:51,079 --> 00:05:54,060
polarization tracing a smooth
S-shaped curve.
108
00:05:54,660 --> 00:05:57,861
Now this pattern is interpreted
as evidence that the fast radio
109
00:05:57,921 --> 00:06:01,262
burst emission site is rotating,
a characteristic previously
110
00:06:01,322 --> 00:06:04,563
observed in pulsars, highly
magnetized rotating neutron
111
00:06:04,623 --> 00:06:10,064
stars. So, if FRB 2022-1022A
originated from close to a
112
00:06:10,084 --> 00:06:12,765
neutron star, the authors should
be able to prove this using
113
00:06:12,845 --> 00:06:15,946
scintillation. Nemo and
colleagues analyzed data from
114
00:06:16,026 --> 00:06:19,167
CHIME, observing steep
variations in brightness which
115
00:06:19,267 --> 00:06:20,427
signals scintillation.
116
00:06:20,807 --> 00:06:24,348
In other words, the fast radio
burst was twinkling. That means
117
00:06:24,388 --> 00:06:27,071
the authors had confirmed that
there was gas somewhere between
118
00:06:27,071 --> 00:06:30,133
the telescope and the fast radio
burst that was bending and
119
00:06:30,293 --> 00:06:31,734
filtering the radio waves.
120
00:06:32,355 --> 00:06:35,537
They then determined where this
gas was located, confirming that
121
00:06:35,537 --> 00:06:38,320
the gas within the fast radio
burst's host galaxy was
122
00:06:38,420 --> 00:06:42,083
responsible for some of the
scintillation. The gas acted as
123
00:06:42,103 --> 00:06:45,585
a sort of natural lens. Allowing
the researchers to zoom in on
124
00:06:45,565 --> 00:06:48,387
the fast radio burst site and
determine that the burst
125
00:06:48,447 --> 00:06:51,589
originated from an extremely
small region, estimated to be
126
00:06:51,669 --> 00:06:54,090
just around 10,000 kilometres
wide.
127
00:06:54,690 --> 00:06:58,172
Nemo says that means the FRB is
probably within hundreds of
128
00:06:58,212 --> 00:07:01,494
thousands of kilometres from the
source, and on cosmic scales,
129
00:07:01,594 --> 00:07:05,777
that's extremely close. Now for
comparison, one would expect the
130
00:07:05,877 --> 00:07:08,839
signal would be far more than
tens of millions of kilometres
131
00:07:08,879 --> 00:07:11,180
away were it to originate from a
shockwave.
132
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,001
And under those conditions you
wouldn't see any scintillation.
133
00:07:14,541 --> 00:07:17,643
In other words, the results
clearly rule out the possibility
134
00:07:17,843 --> 00:07:22,465
that FRB 2022-1022A emerged from
the outskirts of a compact
135
00:07:22,545 --> 00:07:26,807
object. Instead, the study
proves for the first time that
136
00:07:26,827 --> 00:07:30,589
this fast radio burst originated
from very close to a neutron
137
00:07:30,689 --> 00:07:31,089
star.
138
00:07:32,009 --> 00:07:36,491
This is space-time. Still to
come, the link between Lunar
139
00:07:36,571 --> 00:07:40,174
Water and Earth's early history,
and NASA's Juno mission uncovers
140
00:07:40,194 --> 00:07:44,157
the heart of the Jovey Moon IO's
volcanic rage. All that and more
141
00:07:44,217 --> 00:07:46,359
still to come on Space Time.
142
00:08:01,771 --> 00:08:05,034
A new study has shown that much
of the Moon's water actually
143
00:08:05,074 --> 00:08:08,496
originated on the early
proto-Earth. The findings were
144
00:08:08,496 --> 00:08:10,518
reported in the Journal Of The
Proceedings Of The National
145
00:08:10,538 --> 00:08:13,720
Academy Of Sciences, analysed
water in nine samples from the
146
00:08:13,740 --> 00:08:17,202
Apollo-Era lunar missions using
a high-precision triple-oxygen
147
00:08:17,382 --> 00:08:18,422
isotope technique.
148
00:08:18,943 --> 00:08:22,465
The method separates water into
its various binding phases,
149
00:08:22,745 --> 00:08:27,008
loosely bound, tightly bound and
trapped within minerals. It does
150
00:08:27,108 --> 00:08:33,652
this through stepwise heating at
50°C, 150°C and at 1000°C.
151
00:08:34,916 --> 00:08:37,498
One of the study's authors,
Maxwell Thymans from the Vigier
152
00:08:37,598 --> 00:08:41,041
University in Brussels, says the
data provides crucial evidence
153
00:08:41,061 --> 00:08:44,684
that Lunar Water had a dual
heritage, one part originating
154
00:08:44,724 --> 00:08:47,707
from early Earth-like material
and another derived through
155
00:08:47,747 --> 00:08:51,450
cometary impacts. He says it's a
major step forward in
156
00:08:51,470 --> 00:08:53,612
unravelling where Lunar Water
comes from.
157
00:08:54,172 --> 00:08:56,954
The findings suggest that the
Moon inherited water tracing
158
00:08:57,014 --> 00:08:59,917
back to Earth's formation,
followed by later contributions
159
00:08:59,957 --> 00:09:02,899
from comet impacts delivering
the water reservoirs we see
160
00:09:02,979 --> 00:09:06,978
today. The Earth-Moon system was
created when a Mars-Sized
161
00:09:06,998 --> 00:09:09,681
planet, which we now call Theia,
slammed into the early
162
00:09:09,781 --> 00:09:13,624
proto-Earth some 4.5 billion
years ago, causing both bodies
163
00:09:13,664 --> 00:09:15,205
to melt into a magma ocean.
164
00:09:15,826 --> 00:09:19,088
Now eventually this all cooled
and coalesced to form the Earth
165
00:09:19,109 --> 00:09:22,631
as we have it today. And some of
the debris ejecta flung into
166
00:09:22,752 --> 00:09:25,594
orbit around the Earth from the
newly created planet eventually
167
00:09:25,614 --> 00:09:29,408
it created to form the Moon
sometime later. The study shows
168
00:09:29,428 --> 00:09:32,370
that the oxygen isotopic
composition closely matches
169
00:09:32,490 --> 00:09:35,771
enstatite chondrites, a
meteorite type believed to be
170
00:09:35,811 --> 00:09:37,432
one of the building blocks of
the Earth.
171
00:09:38,012 --> 00:09:41,214
But there are also clear signs
of cometary contribution, with a
172
00:09:41,234 --> 00:09:43,995
significant portion of Lunar
Water showing isotopic
173
00:09:44,075 --> 00:09:47,377
similarities to comets.
Interestingly, the findings also
174
00:09:47,517 --> 00:09:50,378
challenge the idea that the
majority of Lunar Water was
175
00:09:50,418 --> 00:09:52,399
produced through solar
interactions with lunar
176
00:09:52,479 --> 00:09:56,141
silicates, instead presenting a
far more complex mixing of
177
00:09:56,181 --> 00:09:56,701
sources.
178
00:09:57,425 --> 00:10:01,407
This is Space Time. Still to
come, NASA's Juno mission
179
00:10:01,467 --> 00:10:05,429
uncovers the heart of the Jovian
Moon IO's volcanic rage, and
180
00:10:05,469 --> 00:10:08,571
later in the science report, a
study looks at the sorts of
181
00:10:08,711 --> 00:10:11,672
illnesses Disney princesses
would have suffered were they
182
00:10:11,752 --> 00:10:15,254
real people. You can tell we're
in the silly season. All that
183
00:10:15,274 --> 00:10:17,775
and more still to come on Space
Time.
184
00:10:32,909 --> 00:10:35,571
Scientists with NASA's Juno
mission to Jupiter have
185
00:10:35,611 --> 00:10:38,993
discovered that the volcanoes on
Jupiter's Moon IO are each
186
00:10:39,113 --> 00:10:42,456
likely to be powered by their
own chamber of rolling hot magma
187
00:10:42,736 --> 00:10:46,939
rather than a single subsurface
magma ocean. The new findings
188
00:10:47,019 --> 00:10:50,521
reported in the journal Nature
solves a 44-year-old mystery
189
00:10:50,741 --> 00:10:54,264
about the subsurface origins of
the Moon's most demonstrative
190
00:10:54,324 --> 00:10:55,525
geological features.
191
00:10:56,209 --> 00:10:59,512
About the same size as the Earth
's Moon, IO is known as the most
192
00:10:59,572 --> 00:11:03,415
volcanically active body in our
solar system. It's home to an
193
00:11:03,475 --> 00:11:07,779
estimated 400 volcanoes,
blasting lava and plumes in
194
00:11:07,899 --> 00:11:11,783
seemingly continuous eruptions.
In fact, if you could live on
195
00:11:12,023 --> 00:11:14,585
IO, you wouldn't have weather
reports, you'd have geological
196
00:11:14,645 --> 00:11:18,328
reports, with mountain building
in the north and lava lakes
197
00:11:18,449 --> 00:11:19,469
forming in the east.
198
00:11:20,290 --> 00:11:24,378
IO was discovered by Galileo
Galilei in 1610. But it wasn't
199
00:11:24,478 --> 00:11:28,681
until the Voyager 1 flyby in
1979 that imaging scientist
200
00:11:28,741 --> 00:11:31,584
Linda Morabito from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in
201
00:11:31,644 --> 00:11:34,947
Pasadena, California first
identified a volcanic plume
202
00:11:35,027 --> 00:11:38,069
erupting from the surface of IO
in an image taken by the
203
00:11:38,109 --> 00:11:38,870
spacecraft.
204
00:11:39,530 --> 00:11:42,413
GENED principal investigator
Scott Bolton from the Southwest
205
00:11:42,453 --> 00:11:45,395
Research Institute in San
Antonio, Texas says since
206
00:11:45,435 --> 00:11:48,098
Morabito's discovery, planetary
scientists have been wondering
207
00:11:48,118 --> 00:11:51,220
about how the volcanoes are
being fed from lava underneath
208
00:11:51,220 --> 00:11:54,586
the surface. Were there shallow
oceans of white-hot magma
209
00:11:54,726 --> 00:11:57,827
fueling the volcanoes, or were
their sources far more
210
00:11:57,887 --> 00:11:58,727
localised?
211
00:11:59,487 --> 00:12:02,868
Scientists knew that data from
Juno's two very close flybys of
212
00:12:03,108 --> 00:12:06,349
IO could give fresh insights on
how this tortured little Moon
213
00:12:06,509 --> 00:12:10,070
actually worked. The Juno
spacecraft made extremely close
214
00:12:10,130 --> 00:12:14,812
flybys of IO in December 2023
and February 2024, getting to
215
00:12:14,812 --> 00:12:18,093
within 1,500 kilometres of its
pizza-faced surface.
216
00:12:18,761 --> 00:12:21,664
During these close approaches,
Juno communicated with NASA's
217
00:12:21,744 --> 00:12:24,146
Deep Space Communications
Network, acquiring
218
00:12:24,206 --> 00:12:27,208
high-precision dual-frequency
Doppler data, which was then
219
00:12:27,329 --> 00:12:30,411
used to measure IO's gravity by
tracking how it affected the
220
00:12:30,431 --> 00:12:31,853
spacecraft's acceleration.
221
00:12:32,353 --> 00:12:34,695
What the mission learned about
the Moon's gravity from these
222
00:12:34,715 --> 00:12:38,238
flybys revealed lots of details
about a phenomenon known as
223
00:12:38,278 --> 00:12:42,722
gravitational tidal flexing.
See, IO's extremely close to the
224
00:12:42,742 --> 00:12:46,545
mammoth Jupiter, the largest
planet in our solar system. And
225
00:12:46,585 --> 00:12:49,786
its elliptical orbit swings it
around the gas giant once every
226
00:12:49,907 --> 00:12:51,447
42 and a half hours.
227
00:12:52,167 --> 00:12:56,049
As this distance varies, so too
does Jupiter's gravitational
228
00:12:56,169 --> 00:12:59,210
pull on the Moon, which causes
the Moon to be relentlessly
229
00:12:59,370 --> 00:13:03,152
pulled and squeezed. The result
is an extreme case of
230
00:13:03,172 --> 00:13:06,553
gravitational tidal flexing,
friction from tidal forces
231
00:13:06,734 --> 00:13:10,415
generating internal heat. Bolton
says this constant flexing
232
00:13:10,535 --> 00:13:14,077
creates immense energy, which
literally melts portions of IO's
233
00:13:14,157 --> 00:13:14,777
interior.
234
00:13:15,549 --> 00:13:18,530
Now, if IO had a global magma
ocean, Bolton knew that the
235
00:13:18,630 --> 00:13:21,631
signal of its tidal deformation
would be much larger than a more
236
00:13:21,711 --> 00:13:23,551
rigid, mostly solid interior.
237
00:13:24,352 --> 00:13:27,853
So, depending on the results of
Juno's probing of IO's gravity
238
00:13:27,933 --> 00:13:30,853
field, Bolton and colleagues
were able to tell if a global
239
00:13:30,933 --> 00:13:34,975
magma ocean was indeed hiding
beneath its surface. The Juno
240
00:13:35,075 --> 00:13:37,995
team compared Doppler data from
their two flybys with
241
00:13:38,035 --> 00:13:41,056
observations from the agency's
previous missions to the Jovian
242
00:13:41,136 --> 00:13:43,557
system and from ground-based
telescopes.
243
00:13:44,137 --> 00:13:47,220
And they found that the tidal
deformation was consistent with
244
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,904
IO not having a shallow global
magma ocean. Juno's discovery
245
00:13:51,984 --> 00:13:55,707
that tidal forces don't always
create global magma oceans has
246
00:13:55,767 --> 00:13:58,409
implications for science's
understanding of other moons
247
00:13:58,489 --> 00:14:02,212
too, including Enceladus and
Europa, and even exoplanets and
248
00:14:02,292 --> 00:14:06,055
super-Earths. One of the teams
involved with the Juno mission
249
00:14:06,316 --> 00:14:07,837
are with the University Of
Leicester.
250
00:14:08,037 --> 00:14:11,200
The objectives of the Juno
mission are threefold.
251
00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,263
There is... A study of the
internal structure of the
252
00:14:15,303 --> 00:14:19,366
planet, how the mass is
distributed on the inside,
253
00:14:19,406 --> 00:14:23,509
whether there is a solid core or
not. Secondly, there is an
254
00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:27,072
objective to look deep within
the atmosphere of the planet,
255
00:14:27,512 --> 00:14:31,075
above the visible cloud tops
that you can see from Earth, to
256
00:14:31,395 --> 00:14:34,378
understand the structure of the
weather layers beneath the cloud
257
00:14:34,438 --> 00:14:38,063
tops. The origin of the Great
Red Spot and so forth.
258
00:14:38,844 --> 00:14:42,526
And thirdly, there is the
objective of looking at the
259
00:14:42,586 --> 00:14:46,207
origins of the planet's auroras,
which are the most intense
260
00:14:46,288 --> 00:14:49,689
auroras in the solar system. The
Earth, of course, has auroras
261
00:14:49,709 --> 00:14:53,351
around the pole, so does Saturn
and so does Jupiter, but Jupiter
262
00:14:53,351 --> 00:14:56,813
is by far the most powerful. And
we want to know the origin, the
263
00:14:56,813 --> 00:15:00,214
physical origin, that drives the
auroras. And the connection with
264
00:15:00,214 --> 00:15:02,276
the magnetic field at large
distances.
265
00:15:02,416 --> 00:15:04,997
The University Of Leicester's
involvement in the mission is
266
00:15:05,537 --> 00:15:10,320
through Professor Stan Cowley,
who is a science co-investigator
267
00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:12,901
on the main Juno science team.
268
00:15:13,161 --> 00:15:18,064
And that was because we had been
involved in theoretical studies
269
00:15:18,104 --> 00:15:22,667
of Jupiter's environment in the
immediate couple of years
270
00:15:22,727 --> 00:15:27,129
beforehand and had produced a
research paper that was
271
00:15:27,209 --> 00:15:28,870
published in 2001.
272
00:15:29,326 --> 00:15:35,008
Which has become the definitive
model of how Jupiter's auroras,
273
00:15:35,248 --> 00:15:39,329
or how we think Jupiter's
auroras are actually generated.
274
00:15:39,929 --> 00:15:44,270
And so when this mission was
being proposed to NASA, we were
275
00:15:44,270 --> 00:15:49,852
the go-to people to be involved
in the planning of the mission.
276
00:15:50,672 --> 00:15:54,033
If we want to understand the
solar system and how it formed,
277
00:15:54,493 --> 00:15:57,454
how it evolved over time, then
we need to understand Jupiter.
278
00:15:57,654 --> 00:16:01,235
We understand quite a lot about
Jupiter, but we don't know the
279
00:16:01,275 --> 00:16:05,937
details of the interior, whether
or not it has a core, how much
280
00:16:06,177 --> 00:16:08,318
water is contained in the
atmosphere.
281
00:16:08,739 --> 00:16:12,900
So the details are really,
really important. And due to
282
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,082
Juno's unique polar orbit, we
really have an opportunity for a
283
00:16:18,122 --> 00:16:21,644
step change in our knowledge. It
is a game changer. The results
284
00:16:21,664 --> 00:16:24,765
that will come from the Juno
mission will significantly
285
00:16:24,825 --> 00:16:28,142
enhance our knowledge of
Jupiter. Overall.
286
00:16:28,142 --> 00:16:30,623
And in that report from the
University Of Leicester, we
287
00:16:30,663 --> 00:16:34,745
heard from Professors Emma
Brunst and Stan Cowley. This is
288
00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:35,605
Space Time.
289
00:16:52,212 --> 00:16:54,513
And time now to take another
brief look at some of the other
290
00:16:54,553 --> 00:16:57,487
stories making use in science
this week. With a science
291
00:16:57,547 --> 00:16:57,987
report.
292
00:16:58,808 --> 00:17:01,811
There now seems to be more
carbon stored in human-made
293
00:17:01,851 --> 00:17:04,853
stuff on the planet than what
there is carbon in the natural
294
00:17:04,933 --> 00:17:08,456
world. The findings reported in
the journal Cell Report
295
00:17:08,496 --> 00:17:11,499
Sustainability looked at how
much carbon is stored in
296
00:17:11,539 --> 00:17:14,622
long-lasting products such as
plastics and buildings. The
297
00:17:14,642 --> 00:17:16,604
authors looked at the amount of
fossil carbon in the
298
00:17:16,664 --> 00:17:20,007
technosphere, that's the sum of
all human-made artifacts both in
299
00:17:20,127 --> 00:17:21,108
use and discarded.
300
00:17:21,748 --> 00:17:25,551
They estimate that some 8.4
billion tonnes of fossil carbon
301
00:17:25,671 --> 00:17:30,294
has been accumulated in the past
25 years, with approximately 0.4
302
00:17:30,334 --> 00:17:33,736
billion tonnes being added
annually. The authors say this
303
00:17:33,776 --> 00:17:37,237
has a huge potential to add to
greenhouse gas emissions if the
304
00:17:37,257 --> 00:17:39,879
carbon locked up in these
everyday objects were ever to be
305
00:17:39,979 --> 00:17:40,579
released.
306
00:17:42,260 --> 00:17:45,362
Researchers have shown that the
expected lifespan of a dementia
307
00:17:45,462 --> 00:17:48,404
patient after they've been
diagnosed varies dramatically
308
00:17:48,464 --> 00:17:51,525
depending on how old they are,
their gender and what type of
309
00:17:51,525 --> 00:17:54,908
disease they have. A report in
the British Medical Journal
310
00:17:55,068 --> 00:17:58,311
combined results from 261
studies, predominantly from
311
00:17:58,372 --> 00:18:00,974
Europe and North America,
looking at the lifespan of
312
00:18:01,014 --> 00:18:01,995
dementia patients.
313
00:18:02,556 --> 00:18:05,579
The authors say life expectancy
varies greatly depending on the
314
00:18:05,619 --> 00:18:09,523
situation, with women diagnosed
around 60 likely to live another
315
00:18:09,623 --> 00:18:13,708
8.9 years, while men diagnosed
in the mid-80s have an average
316
00:18:13,748 --> 00:18:15,850
life expectancy of just 2.2
years.
317
00:18:16,502 --> 00:18:19,623
Overall, researchers say
dementia reduced life expectancy
318
00:18:19,703 --> 00:18:23,464
by about two years for people
with a diagnosis at age 85,
319
00:18:23,724 --> 00:18:27,085
three to four years with a
diagnosis at age 80, and up to
320
00:18:27,165 --> 00:18:32,587
13 years with a diagnosis at age
65. 13% of people were admitted
321
00:18:32,587 --> 00:18:35,267
to a nursing home in the first
year after their diagnosis,
322
00:18:35,407 --> 00:18:39,969
increasing to a third at three
years and 57% at five years.
323
00:18:41,469 --> 00:18:43,810
Well, here's a study that proves
we're now in what journalists
324
00:18:43,830 --> 00:18:47,616
call the silly season. The study
has shown how, had they been
325
00:18:47,696 --> 00:18:50,799
real, each of the Disney fairy
tale princesses could have
326
00:18:50,859 --> 00:18:54,102
exposed themselves to all sorts
of harmful substances and
327
00:18:54,162 --> 00:18:56,645
illnesses, at least according to
their storylines.
328
00:18:57,285 --> 00:18:59,768
The findings reported in the
British Medical Journal show
329
00:18:59,828 --> 00:19:02,610
that Snow White, for example,
would have been at risk of heart
330
00:19:02,650 --> 00:19:05,733
disease and mental health issues
for her time locked away in a
331
00:19:05,753 --> 00:19:08,576
castle, and the long-term
lasting effects of eating a
332
00:19:08,596 --> 00:19:10,738
poisoned apple should also be
considered.
333
00:19:11,402 --> 00:19:14,744
Jasmine and Belle's proximity to
large animals could put them at
334
00:19:14,804 --> 00:19:16,886
risk of all sorts of
animal-borne diseases.
335
00:19:17,206 --> 00:19:20,148
Cinderella's exposure to dust
and magical glitter could cause
336
00:19:20,208 --> 00:19:23,290
lung diseases. Pocahontas's
penchant for diving off a
337
00:19:23,970 --> 00:19:26,392
250-metre-tall cliff would
undoubtedly have led to broken
338
00:19:26,452 --> 00:19:26,872
bones.
339
00:19:27,172 --> 00:19:30,850
Aurora's infinite sleep carries
the risk of heart disease. Mulan
340
00:19:30,850 --> 00:19:33,797
's familial pressures would have
led to mental health issues, and
341
00:19:33,857 --> 00:19:36,939
anyone climbing up Rapunzel's
hair would have likely caused
342
00:19:36,939 --> 00:19:38,000
her permanent hair loss and
scalp damage.
343
00:19:40,612 --> 00:19:43,133
And finally for this week, we're
looking at the mystery of the
344
00:19:43,153 --> 00:19:46,514
Alaska Triangle. It's a place
where travellers keep
345
00:19:46,574 --> 00:19:49,095
disappearing, and it just
happens to have the highest
346
00:19:49,136 --> 00:19:52,697
recorded numbers of paranormal
incidents in the world. But Tim
347
00:19:52,757 --> 00:19:55,438
Mendham from Australian Skeptics
wants to know, why are
348
00:19:55,438 --> 00:19:59,260
proponents of such zones so
geometrically challenged? Why
349
00:19:59,460 --> 00:20:01,080
are they always in triangles?
350
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,941
The Alaska Triangle is where
supposedly a lot of people have
351
00:20:04,002 --> 00:20:06,422
disappeared. Someone's
suggesting that anywhere between
352
00:20:06,563 --> 00:20:10,388
500 and 2,000 mysterious
disappearances a year. Just
353
00:20:10,408 --> 00:20:14,391
quite the national US average.
There's a lot of wild country in
354
00:20:14,411 --> 00:20:17,072
Alaska, and a lot of bears as
well. There's somewhere between
355
00:20:17,132 --> 00:20:20,354
500 and 3,000, so no one's
really quite sure. And they say
356
00:20:20,534 --> 00:20:22,916
it's a consistent flow of UFO
sightings.
357
00:20:22,936 --> 00:20:25,817
Someone's one with the other,
people mysteriously
358
00:20:25,877 --> 00:20:28,699
disappearing. A lot of UFO
sightings, they're being taken
359
00:20:28,739 --> 00:20:32,781
away. And in this triangle,
which is formed by joining up
360
00:20:33,042 --> 00:20:36,083
various known sites within
Alaska, the people keep
361
00:20:36,123 --> 00:20:37,985
disappearing, fair enough.
Someone says, you know, some of
362
00:20:37,985 --> 00:20:39,786
these things that have
disappeared, they actually find
363
00:20:39,806 --> 00:20:41,968
the bodies later on. And it's
sort of, yep, a bear.
364
00:20:42,249 --> 00:20:44,211
You can't say that's always
going to be the case. People
365
00:20:44,271 --> 00:20:48,554
might just freeze to death. It's
a wild place. So my problem is
366
00:20:48,554 --> 00:20:51,357
that with all these things, like
the Bermuda Triangle, the Japan
367
00:20:51,437 --> 00:20:53,679
Sea Triangle, the Alaska
Triangle, everyone has
368
00:20:53,739 --> 00:20:56,762
triangles. I think that's a bit
boring. It's a geometrically
369
00:20:56,862 --> 00:21:00,105
challenged, I call it. No one
has a horrifying hexagram or a
370
00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:00,946
dangerous project.
371
00:21:00,946 --> 00:21:02,127
Yeah, Alaska Parallelogram.
372
00:21:03,488 --> 00:21:06,589
Pointed out very rudely, a
mathematician with obviously a
373
00:21:06,609 --> 00:21:09,390
typical wacky sense of humor
that mathematicians have, that a
374
00:21:09,410 --> 00:21:11,751
dodecahedron is a
three-dimensional space whereas
375
00:21:11,771 --> 00:21:14,572
a triangle is two-dimensional. I
think it will, you know, UFOs up
376
00:21:14,552 --> 00:21:16,113
in the sky, UFOs down in the
water.
377
00:21:16,113 --> 00:21:18,354
You've really got to have a
three-dimensional shape these
378
00:21:18,374 --> 00:21:21,455
days to account for all these
things. And triangles just
379
00:21:21,535 --> 00:21:23,976
doesn't do it. And often the
case like the Bermuda Triangle,
380
00:21:23,976 --> 00:21:26,697
a lot of the examples that are
used, they never happened in the
381
00:21:26,757 --> 00:21:29,178
area they say they did. I think
Bermuda Triangle, there were
382
00:21:29,178 --> 00:21:31,379
some cases raised that actually
happened in the Pacific.
383
00:21:31,499 --> 00:21:33,060
Well, the Gulf Of Mexico anyway,
yeah.
384
00:22:07,024 --> 00:22:10,567
And that's the show for now.
Space Time is available every
385
00:22:10,647 --> 00:22:14,130
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
through Apple Podcasts, ITunes,
386
00:22:14,430 --> 00:22:18,814
Stitcher, Google Podcasts,
Pocket Casts, Spotify, Acast,
387
00:22:19,074 --> 00:22:23,157
Amazon Music, Bytes.Com,
SoundCloud, YouTube, your
388
00:22:23,237 --> 00:22:25,759
favorite podcast download
provider, and from
389
00:22:25,839 --> 00:22:27,901
spacetimewithstuartgarry.com.
390
00:22:28,662 --> 00:22:31,184
Space Time's also broadcast
through the National Science
391
00:22:31,224 --> 00:22:35,187
Foundation on Science Zone Radio
and on both IHeart Radio and
392
00:22:35,327 --> 00:22:36,128
TuneIn Radio.
393
00:22:36,816 --> 00:22:39,777
And you can help to support our
show by visiting the Space Time
394
00:22:39,857 --> 00:22:43,558
store for a range of promotional
merchandising goodies, or by
395
00:22:43,598 --> 00:22:46,859
becoming a Space Time patron,
which gives you access to triple
396
00:22:46,879 --> 00:22:50,040
episode commercial free versions
of the show, as well as lots of
397
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,221
bonus audio content which
doesn't go to air, access to our
398
00:22:53,261 --> 00:22:57,022
exclusive Facebook group and
other rewards. Just go to
399
00:22:57,062 --> 00:23:00,163
spacetimewithstuartgary.com for
full details.
400
00:23:01,023 --> 00:23:03,404
You've been listening to Space
Time with Stuart Gary.
401
00:23:04,124 --> 00:23:06,869
This has been another quality
podcast production from
402
00:23:07,010 --> 00:23:07,851
Bytes.Com.