Photo: StefanMal/Depositphotos

The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse is upon us. Since all of the continental U.S. will get at least a partial eclipse, why not join in on the fun? Given the rarity of the event—this will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the lower 48 until 2044—it's best to make the most out of the experience. To make this sweeping event smooth and memorable, here's everything you need to know about the eclipse, as well as some handy tips.

The Basics

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the surface of the Sun. We owe this to a unique coincidence. While the Sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon, it is also about 400 times farther away—that's why they appear to be about the same size in the sky from our point of view.

Photo: NASA

The Path of Totality

The eclipse will be seen across North America. However, only a strip of land, roughly 4,000 miles long and 115 miles wide will get a total solar eclipse. The eclipse will begin in Mazatlán, Mexico, before crossing the border in Texas, and continuing its way to the northeast—Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Very small corners of Tennessee and Michigan will also be able to view totality of the eclipse. You can browse this map to make sure if your location is in the path, or how much you'll get to see from the eclipse, and check here for the exact start and peak times.

Many wonder what they'll get to see if they are not in the path of totality. At best, you'll see the Sun almost covered, and the leaves in the trees projecting crescent-shaped shadows, but it will not get dark. For you to experience the day-to-night turn, you must be inside the path. As one Redditor put it, 100% totality is Disney World, while 99.9% totality is the Disney World parking lot.

It is not recommended to go out of your way to reach a destination within the path of totality. There is sure to be a lot of traffic in and out of these areas—in 2017 there were record-breaking traffic jams, and the same is expected this year. Hotel rooms and flights are going for hundreds of dollars, and availability is extremely limited in most places. If you're undecided about making last-minute plans, make a list of pros and cons—some are willing to break the bank for the experience, while others are happy to follow it from their home. Think what's best for you. NASA will also have a livestream of the eclipse for you to follow wherever you are.

Photo: ChinaImages/Depositphotos

Safety

If you want to watch the solar eclipse, you need solar eclipse glasses. These are specially made to protect your eyes. Regular sunglasses don't offer any protection at all, so don't see them as an alternative. If you're in the path of totality, you need to keep them on all the time except for the few minutes of totality, when the Sun's corona appears. If your area only gets a partial eclipse, you need to keep them up any time you want to look at the Sun. Also, put them on before looking at the Sun and don't take them off before you've looked away.

“With the coming eclipse in April, ophthalmologists advise people to be careful and not assume that short glances at the Sun are safe. Damage can occur, they say, in less than a minute,” reports The New York Times. “With every eclipse, ophthalmologists see patients who looked at the Sun and complain afterward that their vision is distorted: They see small black spots, their eyes are watery and sensitive to light. Usually, the symptoms resolve, although it may take several weeks to a year.”

To guarantee they give you the protection you need, make sure your eclipse glasses are ISO 12312-2 compliant. The American Astronomical Society put together a list of vetted vendors where you can get your glasses from. This includes some large retail chains. Many cities will also host events where glasses will be given away.

If you aren't able to get a pair of eclipse glasses or would feel more comfortable with an indirect viewing method, you can make a simple projector with two pieces of cardboard. Just make a tiny prick in the center of one of the cards, and project the shadow onto the other one without ever looking up at the Sun yourself. If you have the time, you can make a simple cardboard projector following this NASA tutorial. In a pinch, a colander can also project the shadows on the ground.

Photo: Andrew_Rybalko/Depositphotos

Weather

While many eclipse chasers are already looking at forecasts, it's hard to determine the conditions so far ahead. While the southwest edge of the eclipse path has better odds at a clear sky, cloud cover can be difficult to pin down, even hours before the eclipse. Still, you should be able to experience the day-to-night phenomenon, as well as the Purkinje effect—as the lights dim, our eyes get more sensitive towards the blue end of the spectrum.

Photography

There will be many people photographing the eclipse, so it's perfectly ok if you just want to take it in with your eyes. Still, if you want to give it a try, we previously talked to photographer Jon Carmichael about capturing the eclipse. “If you’re more of a professional or hobbyist with a DSLR or mirrorless camera,” he told My Modern Met, “you may want a telephoto lens (200-400mm) to get closer detail of the eclipse or a wider lens if you want to capture the scenery around you.” He added, “Also, be sure to have a sturdy tripod, a shutter remote to prevent camera shake, solar filters to protect your eyes, and a camera sensor. It's entirely possible to photograph the eclipse on a budget, especially with how far phone cameras have come.”

You can read our entire conversation with Carmichael and all of his tips here.

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A 13th-century diagram of veins. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Think of medieval doctors and you probably picture a man dressed in robes, perhaps with a plague mask. In the popular imagination, medicine of the Middle Ages is all leeches, bloodletting, and mystical charms and potions. But to a medieval mind, our modern surgery, pharmaceuticals, and blood tests might look just as divorced from scientific reality.

Modern scholars of the history of medicine are attempting to put the record straight by situating these historic practitioners in a long history of scientific inquiry and deduction. Historian Meg Leja of SUNY Binghamton, who recently penned an article for The Conversation, and Peregrine Horden, whose research was recently published in Social History of Medicine, are trying to shift the needle.

As commented on by Leja, Horden's article situates bizarre medieval “cures” in contexts that explain the rationale behind the (usually gross) regime. These nasty cures could use the fluids and organs of animals, while others involved mixing herbal ingredients like garlic and mugwort. Historic practitioners were undoubtedly successful in curing ailments—treating infections with antibacterial poultices made with honey or concerns for fresh air allude to modern cures. Unfortunately, without modern developments in childbirth, pharmacology, or surgery, saving patients was certainly harder. The regular reoccurrence of deadly pandemics such as plague also devastated patients.

These medieval doctors received inherited medical knowledge from the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. Yet in the early Middle Ages, often called the Dark Ages, books were rare, and universities just began to form after the year 1000 CE. Monks carefully guarded and copied the remains of ancient knowledge left in Europe.

As physicians began to train at universities, they learned to combine this knowledge with practice and rigorous observation. A patient's fluids and appearance could tell them a lot, just like they inform modern medicine. They then rationally tried to adjust what they observed back to a normal state, perhaps by letting blood to purge toxins or altering a diet to affect the humors of the body.

Early texts from the Dark Ages and into the later medieval period recorded recipes for treatments, signs of disease in urine, and views of veins gained from autopsies. As medieval doctors were far from the only practitioners of healing, their patients would have had a wide variety of treatments to choose from. While today's patients may prefer a modern X-ray with good reason, there's less reason to look down our noses at the medieval “quacks.”

One may think of the Dark Ages as a time of quack doctors and magical cures, but medieval medicine was not as divorced from science as we might think.

A 14th-century chart to interpret urine colors. (Photo: Trinity College, Cambridge, CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED)

A 14th-century dentist extracting teeth. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

A 19th-century facsimile of the 10th-century Bald's Leechbook. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

A selection pf household remedies combined into a book in the 15th century. (Photo: Cambridge University Library/Scriptorium: Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Online, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine, Cambridge University]

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Image: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

This year is full of exciting astronomical events. In just a few weeks, a good chunk of North America will get to see a total solar eclipse, which could also feature a green “devil comet.” Now, NASA has revealed that yet another stellar occurrence will take place later this year. The star system T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is predicted to experience a nova outburst, which would make it visible to the naked eye between now and September.

The nova outburst only occurs about every 80 years, and since T CrB last exploded in 1946, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. The system is located 3,000 light-years away from Earth, and its light is usually magnitude +10—too dim to see without a telescope. However, the nova will make a jump to magnitude +2, meaning it will have a brightness similar to that of the North Star, Polaris.

Contrary to the supernova, which marks the end of a star's life, the nova only expels the outer layers of accumulated material. The energy thrust out of the star temporarily increases its luminosity several thousand times its normal level, providing us with a unique chance to see it.

“Once its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for another 80 years,” says NASA. T CrB is only one of five recurring novas in our galaxy, and its structure as a binary system with a white dwarf and red giant is what makes it go nova every 80 years.

“The stars are close enough that as the red giant becomes unstable from its increasing temperature and pressure and begins ejecting its outer layers, the white dwarf collects that matter onto its surface,” explains NASA. “The shallow dense atmosphere of the white dwarf eventually heats enough to cause a runaway thermonuclear reaction—which produces the nova we see from Earth.”

As its name suggests, T Coronae Borealis is part of the Corona Borealis constellation, or the Northern Crown. It can be spotted as a small, semicircular arc near Bootes and Hercules. When the nova occurs, it will appear as a “new” bright star. “Look up after sunset during summer months to find Hercules!” suggests NASA. “Scan between Vega and Arcturus, near the distinct pattern of Corona Borealis.”

Bradley Schaefer, professor emeritus at Louisiana State University told Astronomy Magazine, “This is the one big chance you have of seeing the brightest nova of the generation.” Since he points out that T CrB could go up any night or month now, it's best to stay updated and keep an eye on it.

The star system T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is predicted to experience a nova outburst, which would make it visible to the naked eye between now and September.

Image: NASA

“This is the one big chance you have of seeing the brightest nova of the generation,” Bradley Schaefer, professor emeritus at Louisiana State University. Here's how to find the Corona Borealis constellation, home to T Coronae Borealis, in the night sky:

View of Granada War Relocation Center from the interpretive signs at the entrance. (Photo:  International Astronomical Union (IAU) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

h/t: [NASA]

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NGC 5468, a galaxy containing Cepheid variable stars. (Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Adam G. Riess (JHU, STScI))

From the moment of the Big Bang, our universe started expanding and has not stopped. By studying the red shift of far away galaxies, modern scientists have even determined that the pace of this expansion is increasing. Dark energy pushes this expansion, and astronomers and physicists have struggled to come to terms with what's known as the Hubble Tension. Named for the famed telescope that has been used to study the expanding universe, the conundrum is that, in the words of NASA, “the current rate of the expansion of the universe is faster than what astronomers expect it to be, based on the universe's initial conditions and our present understanding of the universe’s evolution.” This problem and what it says about gaps in our knowledge of the universe has recently been confirmed by researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Until recently, there was some concern that the data—coming from the Hubble Telescope—which underlay the Hubble Tension could itself be flawed. If so, perhaps no true unexplainable problem existed. However, a study recently published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters lays this debate to rest. The study announced that by using the most superior modern techniques, they could eliminate “unrecognized crowding of Cepheid photometry” in Hubble's data as a cause of the mystery. “With measurement errors negated, what remains is the real and exciting possibility we have misunderstood the universe,” lead author and Nobel Prize-winner Adam Riess, a physicist at Johns Hopkins University, said in a NASA statement.

The rate of the expansion of the universe is known as the Hubble constant. However, at the outer reaches of our observable universe, this constant as predicted does not match what is actually happening. The Lambda CDM—the current governing system of measuring universe expansion by examining the cosmic microwave background—breaks down at these points. Another measuring system, used by the paper authors to confirm the Hubble Tension exists, is based on observing Cepheid variables. These are dying, pulsating stars whose light's red-shift can expose the past of the universe. The prior concern was that the further one goes back the cosmic ladder, the more these signals would essentially blur into one another, possibly skewing the data to create the tension.

By finding “no significant difference in the mean distance measurements determined from HST and JWST,” the study clarified the tension does in fact exist. “Combining Webb and Hubble gives us the best of both worlds. We find that the Hubble measurements remain reliable as we climb farther along the cosmic distance ladder,” said Riess. This leaves scientists with a problem of immense magnitude in their quest to learn the true origins and present state of the universe. Exactly how fast is it expanding? The JSWT is an essential tool in this study, as it continues to push the boundaries of human knowledge into the final frontier.

The new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed just how much we still do not know about the origins of our universe.

Showing how the Hubble constant is calculated. (Photo: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI))

The Hubble Tension is the name assigned to the problem of accurately understanding just how fast the universe is expanding and why it does not match what we know.

h/t: [Live Science]

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An artist’s impression of the quasar J059-4351. (Photo: ESO/M. Kornmesser)

Stars dominate our nighttime visual universes, dazzling us with beauty and sparkle as they rise in the evening and shift with the seasons. Chief among the stars is our Sun, so bright you cannot look directly at it without vision damage. However, stars—and even our Sun—are not the brightest things in the universe. Quasars hold that highest honor. These are celestial phenomenon within the active galactic nuclei category: at the center is a black hole sucking in matter from the surrounding space, including stars themselves. The matter swirls into an accretion disk, where the gas and stars and matter all collide to produce heat, visible to us as light. Excitingly, researchers have discovered the brightest quasar yet known—500 trillion times brighter than our own Sun.

This speck of light in a vast universe was photographed by telescopes in the 1980s but categorized initially as a star. Modern technology has vastly accelerated the process of discovering quasars, as artificial intelligence can be trained to scan for signatures of these phenomena. Last year, researchers using the Siding Spring Observatory and the Very Large Telescope in Chile realized the “star” was in fact a quasar, now known as J0529-4351. According to a statement from the European Southern Observatory, the quasar is 12 billion light-years away, meaning the light we see is from the distant past. “We have discovered the fastest-growing black hole known to date,” Christian Wolf, lead author paper in Nature Astronomy, said in a statement. “It has a mass of 17 billion Suns, and eats just over a Sun per day. This makes it the most luminous object in the known Universe.”

The black hole is no longer expanding at the rate it once did. “It is a surprise that it has remained unknown until today, when we already know about a million less impressive quasars. It has literally been staring us in the face until now,” stated co-author Christopher Onken. However, the “past” of the quasar can tell us a lot. Because of its massive size, it is the perfect fit for new techniques intending to measure the mass of black holes. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, a quasar with a light-sucking black hole at its center is the brightest thing in the universe, and the next big thing in astronomy.

Scientists have discovered the brightest quasar yet known, 500 trillion times as bright as our own Sun.

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) captures the quasar. (Photo: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Dark Energy Survey)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

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In late February 2024, history was made when the first female-led space company, 4SPACE, took Jeff Koons‘ art to the Moon. The successful launch makes Koons the first artist to have authorized artwork on the lunar surface and everything came together thanks to the vision of 4SPACE founder Chantelle Baier.

Baier founded 4SPACE as a vehicle to bridge non-traditional space companies with the space industry. Under her leadership, 4SPACE has achieved the first authorized art gallery to be sent to the Moon in 2024, a significant milestone in the footprints on the Moon. And it seems fitting that Koons, a pioneer of the contemporary art world, would be the first creative to hold this honor.

Jeff Koons: Moon Phases comprises 125 unique artworks, each consisting of three components: a sculpture that was installed on the Moon, a sculpture that stays on Earth, and an NFT that corresponds with the sculptures on the Moon and the Earth. The 125 miniature stainless steel Moon Phase sculptures are currently displayed on the Moon in a cube, which was designed and built by 4SPACE in consultation with Koons.

“The Moon Phase artworks are associated with individuals who made important accomplishments in human history,” 4SPACE revealed in a written statement. “The list of names is universal, from various cultures throughout the world, fields, and time periods. Displayed in front of each artwork, the names memorialize the figures. In this way, Koons honors some of the greatest achievements of the past to inspire future generations.”

The work made its way into space via the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander, Odysseus, named after the hero of Homer's Greek epic. The Nova-C is part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center.

When Odysseus touched down on the lunar surface, it became the first successful U.S. moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. And it is the first time that a privately owned spacecraft has successfully landed.

We had a chance to speak with Baier about this momentous occasion and what it means to her, as well as what it took to make this outer space art gallery come to life. Read on for My Modern Met's exclusive interview.

What sparked your initial love of space?

I was born in the land of the living sky in Canada, where there was no light pollution, and I was surrounded by the vastness of trillions of twinkling stars in the sky. We would spend a lot of time stargazing, so naturally I dreamt of going to the Moon since I was a kid. I began to realize NASA has led to wonderful advancements that help us here on Earth, and I began to learn how important space is for our future. The idea of exploration beyond Earth’s gravity and traveling the Moon and Mars ignited my curiosity to learn more about space and the earth.

Photo: David Bellman

What motivated you to start 4SPACE?

I was encouraged by a mentor of mine, Dr. Chris McKay, to set up 4SPACE to hone in on my diverse skillset that ranges from technical knowledge to the entertainment/fashion industry. 4SPACE was set up as a vehicle to bring non-traditional space companies into the space industry. With this non-linear way of thinking, our focus is on commercializing the space industry by incorporating branding, marketing, and outside-of-the-box ways of approaching traditional industries.

What accomplishment are you most proud of since 4SPACE was founded?

We just became the first woman-owned company on the Moon. We also became the first company to place a clear art gallery with Jeff Koons Moon Phases statues on the Moon on board the Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander that successfully landed on February 22, 2024.

Photo: Chris Farina

How did you become involved in the Jeff Koons project?

In 2021, I contacted a small company that had just won an award from NASA to go to the Moon. Their mission had scientific NASA payloads, and I had an idea for a project to be placed on the Moon. The lunar lander didn’t have enough power for our payload, so I had to redesign a powerless payload. My investor had a great relationship with Jeff Koons' son Sean, and we commissioned him to design 125 statues.

What type of research went into creating the display for his art?

Extensive work in many different areas spanning material research, adhesives that would survive the trip to the Moon, space radiation, lunar environment, and analysis.

What type of work went into getting permission to leave something like this on the Moon?

Currently, there aren’t any permissions per se. It is our ethos to think of sustainability, scientific relevance, marketing, commercializing, and the return on investment in a circular way of thinking in every project. We understand the rare opportunity we have, we know these projects will be placed on the Moon and remain there forever, so we want them to have scientific relevance, paired with new ways of marketing, branding, and connecting our everyday lives to the Moon. Our approach is to ensure multiple facets of success in each project that positively support the space industry, NASA objectives, and what’s relevant to our partners whether it be artists, brands, you name it.

How does it feel to have 4SPACE involved in such a groundbreaking project?

Out of this world. It’s truly an honor to be a part of this historic mission to the Moon and to have had such a cultural impact and footprint.

What do you hope that people take away from this work?

I hope to inspire a new way of thinking. I hope to show the world that you can dream and achieve your goals no matter what challenges you face. I came from very modest roots, and I believe we need to support each other and work together to create a better world here on Earth. Utilizing the new opportunities that the Space Industry has to offer, everyone brings hope to us here on Earth. New ways of exploring that open up new jobs and hopefully a bright future.

If I can take a world famous artist and put his work on the Moon… please take my word, there is a new industry coming and it’s the space industry.

4SPACE: Website

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by 4SPACE.

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A Chaunacops (a genus of bony fish in the sea toad family Chaunacidae) is seen at a depth of 1388.65 meters on Seamount SF2 inside the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park. (Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

In an era of widely accessible information and technological advances, it is easy to think scientists know everything there is to know about Earth. In reality though, the ocean is still a vast mystery. UNESCO estimates as little as 5% of it has been explored. This past January and February, scientists Dr. Javier Sellanes and Dr. Erin Easton led a team of international researchers, organized through the Schmidt Ocean Institute, to a remote region of the southeast Pacific. There they began to uncover strange new worlds thought to be unlike anywhere else. With the crucial help of an underwater robot, over a hundred new species have potentially been discovered.

The remotely operated vehicle ROV SuBastian, a robot that can dive to previously inaccessible depths of 14,000 feet, facilitated the crew of the Falkor (too) finding many diverse species in underwater mountain ranges, better known as ridges, off the coast of Chile. The Salas y Gómez, Nazca, and Juan Fernandez ridges are home to over 200 seamounts, or individual mountains, created by volcanic activity. Each seamount provides shelter to an underwater community that seems otherworldly, with long-living, slow-growing, and slow to reproduce species found nowhere else. These species are especially vulnerable to damage from human and oceanic forces.

Among specimens collected during the expedition, the team believes they have discovered new species of squat lobsters, which have arms longer than their bodies, and cactus-like sea urchins. They have also found vertebrates such as the Chaunacops fish, known as coffinfish. The coffinfish survives very  deep underwater only by remaining motionless on the seafloor for the majority of its life.

While the images of brilliantly colored and alien-like sea life are mesmerizing in themselves, the data collected by the expedition will serve a critical purpose in conservation efforts.

In 2016, Chile banned bottom trawling on seamounts in its jurisdiction, but most of the ocean is outside of any one nation's borders. Therefore international efforts are needed to protect these magical oceanic mountain ranges. The hope is this expedition will help create a Marine Protected Area under the UN's 2023 High Seas Treaty. This will further restrict bottom trawling, a fishing method which rips up coral reefs and indiscriminately catches species from the seafloor in its net.

Over the next several years, scientists will work to confirm that the specimens collected by the ROV SuBastian are indeed previously unknown species. Another expedition of the seamounts is already in progress, keeping the Falkor (too) crew busy. In the meantime, we can all appreciate how much beauty there is yet to be discovered under the sea.

The crew of the Falkor (too) spent just over a month off the coast of Chile and discovered hundreds of undersea animals.

Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) SuBastain is deployed from Research Vessel Falkor (too) at the beginning of a scientific dive. (Photo: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

This expedition resulted in images of rarely seen sea creatures, such as the whiplash squid, as well as animals thought to be previously unknown.

A spiraling coral documented at 1419 meters deep on Seamount JF1, within the bounds of the Mar de Juan Fernández Multiple Uses Marine Protected Area off the coast of central Chile. (Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

A rarely-seen whiplash squid (Mastigopsis hjorti) documented at 1105 meters depth after inking at Seamount 17 (Ikhtiandr) in the Nazca Ridge. (Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

Oblong Dermechinus urchins documented at a depth of 516 meters on Seamount JF2. An international group of scientists aboard a recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition believe they have discovered more than 100 new species living on seamounts off the coast of Chile, including deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, and squat lobsters. (Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

A squat lobster documented in coral at a depth of 669 meters on Seamount JF2. An international group of scientists aboard a recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition believe they have discovered more than 100 new species living on seamounts off the coast of Chile, including deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, and squat lobsters. (Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

Confirming that the species are new will take several years.

Erin Easton (Chief Scientist, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) and Elyssia Gonzalez (Student, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) work together in the Research Vessel Falkor (too)'s Main Lab.  (Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute, CC BY-NC-SA)

The expedition explored seamounts that had never been studied prior.

Schmidt Ocean Intitute: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Popular Science]

All Images via Schmidt Ocean Institute.

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Photo: (Background image) NASA/USGS Mars globe. Geologic interpretation and annotations by Pascal Lee and Sourabh Shubham 2024.

According to recent findings, there is a huge volcano the size of Mount Everest on the surface of Mars with a thick layer of glacial ice at its base. It is located near the Martian equator, in the rocky terrain of the Tharsis volcanic province. As its name might suggest, the area is rife with volcanic activity, and this newly discovered volcano is one of three that have already been identified in the region.

The volcano has an elevation of 29,600 feet, making it taller than Mount Everest, which stands at 29,032 feet. It is also approximately 280 miles wide, which is about as long as the state of Colorado is from North to South. Because of its size, the volcano has likely been active for a long time.

Even though several rovers have been exploring Mars in both the past and present, this volcano wasn't discovered until earlier this year. This may be due to the severe erosion on the volcano's surface, which has made it beyond easy recognition over the years. NASA’s SETI team states, “Imaged repeatedly by orbiting spacecraft around Mars since Mariner 9 in 1971—but deeply eroded beyond easy recognition, the giant volcano had been hiding in plain sight for decades in one of Mars’ most iconic regions, at the boundary between the heavily fractured maze-like Noctis Labyrinthus (Labyrinth of the Night) and the monumental canyons of Valles Marineris (Valleys of Mariner)”

The discovery of this volcano, especially the thick layer of ice at its base, could hold exciting truths for researchers and others interested in the history of the Red Planet. “Its discovery points to an exciting new place to search for life,” the SETI team explains, “and a potential destination for future robotic and human exploration.”

A giant active volcano has been discovered on the surface of Mars that is taller than Mount Everest.

Photo: Background image: NASA Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) digital elevation model. Geologic interpretation & annotations by Pascal Lee and Sourabh Shubham 2024.

Photo: Background images: NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) mosaic and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) digital elevation model. Geologic interpretation & annotations by Pascal Lee & Sourabh Shubham 2024.

h/t: [Interesting Engineering]

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Photo: LIGHTSOURCE/Depositphotos

Dementia is an unfortunate condition faced by many in American families. Aging relatives lose their memories and abilities, while families watch the painful process and do all they can. Care remains expensive and, for many, elusive. With America's population swiftly skewing towards the retiring, aging baby boomers, dementia is a high priority field of medical research. But there is some good news. A new study, funded by the National Institute on Aging and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered that the prevalence of dementia in those over 65 years old has markedly decreased, despite persisting inequities.

Using data from over 20,000 individuals, the team looked to cognitive tests and clinically diagnosed dementia rates. They analyzed the period from 2000 to 2016 to find the change over the years. They discovered something great: age-adjusted prevalence rates of dementia decreased from 12.2% to 8.5% in 2016. This fall of 3.7% is a distinct improvement, and heralds better news for the large portion of the population which is currently around 65. Interestingly, the quickest decline was in the first four years surveyed, between 2000 and 2004. While improvement is shared across racial, gender, and class lines, not all gains were equal.

Prevalence rates for women remain higher, although they saw a greater drop across the period. Black men too saw a larger drop than white men in prevalence rates, but their current overall prevalence remains higher. In short, the inequities of society seem to parallel inequities in rates of dementia. Better education, less smoking, and better cardiovascular health are all thought to contribute to dementia risk. The researchers specifically found they could trace 40% of the improvement among men to a drastic shift in the college-educated population which was over 65 during the studied period. It rose from 21.5% to 33.7%. Among women there was also an increase resulting in 20% of the reduction in dementia prevalence.

“Closing the education gap across racial and ethnic groups may be a powerful tool to reduce health inequalities in general and dementia inequalities in particular, an important public health policy goal,” the author wrote. Most of those over 65 in the period studied would have been members of the Silent generation and the older Baby Boomers, groups which saw about 15% and 24% earning college degrees. However, Millennials clocked in at 39% as of 2018. As with Gen X, but unlike previous generations, women are now more represented in higher education. More people of color are able to attend college now, compared to the 1960s, despite persistent inequity. It remains to be seen how these shifting demographics influence the declining trend of dementia in future years and future studies.

Since the year 2000, dementia rates have fallen in an encouraging sign—however, gender, race, and class disparities persist.

Photo: RAWPIXEL/Depositphotos

h/t: [RAND]

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READ: Study Finds That Dementia Rates Are Declining

Illustration of a Tasmanian giant crab, Pseudocarcinus gigas. (Photo: John James Wild via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

A New Zealand man named Karl Raubenheimer was walking on a beach one day near his home in Taranaki when he spotted something unique. As an amateur fossil hunter, he was drawn to what looked like a giant claw poking out from a rock. After lightly tapping it, he discovered this presumed rock was actually an enormous male crab, perfectly preserved, with an 8-inch pincer. As luck would have it, Raubenheimer repeated his feat a decade later, this time unearthing a fully intact female fossil. Now, his findings have made history. Not only is it the largest fossil crab claw ever found, but it also belongs to a species previously unknown to scientists.

The feat was reported in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, and the new crab species was named Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri in the man's honor. The crab lived about 8.8 million years ago, in the Miocene Epoch, alongside crabs of all sizes. The body of the larger of Raubenheimer’s fossils measured 8 inches across, an impressive size considering that it boasted an 8-inch long claw.

Given its dimensions, scientists are now studying whether the P. karlraubenheimeri could be an ancestor to the Giant Southern crab (Pseudocarcinus gigas), which can weigh over 26 pounds and calls the bottoms in the oceans off Southern Australia home. “The now living Giant Southern crab, Pseudocarcinus gigas, is one of the largest crabs to have ever lived,” study author Barry W.M van Bakel told IFL Science. “Its claw can reach a maximum of 47 centimeters [18.5 inches], nearly half a meter [1.6 feet]! This fossil ancestor is about half the size.”

Like modern-day crabs, it is believed the Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri lived in waters that stretched several hundreds of meters deep. They were also a key element of the food chain. While they may have fed on other crustaceans, clams, and snails, they were a source of food for ancient seals, whales, and dolphins.

As for these particular fossils, the crabs must have met their fate during an eruption of the nearby Mohakatino Volcanic Center, which allowed them to be preserved in such pristine conditions. Now, they may shed light on the evolution of larger crustaceans.

“This is the largest fossil crab to have ever been discovered, which is fascinating,” added van Bakel. “But also, the discovery of its former habitat: sea-floor gas seeps, bringing CO2 and/or methane to the sediment-water interface, provided a warm and nutrient-rich environment rich in clams, snails, and smaller crabs. This formed the food source for these giant crabs! It is great to learn about former ecosystems.”

A New Zealand man named Karl Raubenheimer found the largest fossil crab claw ever seen, which belongs to a species previously unknown to scientists.

The extant ‘Southern Giant Crab,’ Pseudocarcinus gigas (Lamarck Citation1818). A: dorsal view of male specimen, maximum carapace width 220 mm, maximum major claw length 270 mm (photograph by Ondřej Radosta). B: after McCoy Citation1889, originally drawn by John James Wild, scanned from the reference and kindly provided by P. Davie.(Photo: Barry Van Bakel and Àlex Ossó / New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED)

The feat was reported in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, and the new crab species was named Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri in the man's honor.

Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri n. sp., A, paratype, NMNZ CR.027703, showing dorsal carapace, with both left (minor) and right (major) chelipeds; arrows indicate larger granules on posterior carapace surface; B, oblique view showing fingers of both chelipeds. Photographs by Jean-Claude Stahl (NMNZ). Scale bars equal 50 mm. (Photo: Barry W. M. van Bakel and Àlex Ossó / New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED)

Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri n. sp., A, holotype, NMNZ CR.027704, showing dorsal carapace, thoracic sternum and major right cheliped (male); B, detail of right major cheliped and thoracic sternum; B’, annotated detail of thoracic sternum, abbreviations: 4, 5, 6, thoracic sternites 4, 5 and 6; e4, e5, e6, episternites 4, 5 and 6; g4, g5, gynglyme of thoracic sternites 4 and 5; 4/5, 5/6, thoracic sternal sutures 4/5 and 5/6; ag, axial groove; og, oblique groove; pb, press-button for pleonal holding mechanism. Photographs by Jean-Claude Stahl (NMNZ). Scale bars equal 50 mm. (Photo: Barry W. M. van Bakel and Àlex Ossó / New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

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READ: Crustacean Fossil of Previously Unknown Species of Giant Crab Found in New Zealand