a2k Science News Depository and Library

Scientists discover planet 10 times size of Jupiter orbiting superhot massive stars



Scientists have discovered a planet 10 times as massive as Jupiter orbiting a pair of stars in another solar system, according to new research.

The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, points to the discovery of a planet named b Centauri (AB)b or b Centauri b, with
an image captured by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile.

The planet is 10 times as massive as Jupiter and “one of the most massive planets ever found,” according to the observatory.

Also the planet orbits b Centauri, a two-star system that has at least six times the mass of the Sun and is 325 light-years away from Earth.

That makes it the most “massive system around which a planet has been confirmed,” according to a statement from the observatory. The
statement also explained, "Until now, no planets had been spotted around a star more than three times as massive as the Sun.”

The James Webb Space Telescope has successfully launched

Webb will peer into the very atmospheres of exoplanets, some of which are potentially habitable,
and it could uncover clues in the ongoing search for life outside of Earth.

The telescope comes equipped with a mirror that can extend 21 feet and 4 inches (6.5 meters)
-- a massive length that will allow the mirror to collect more light from the objects it observes
once the telescope is in space. The more light the mirror can collect, the more details the
telescope can observe.

The mirror includes 18 hexagonal gold-coated segments, each 4.3 feet (1.32 meters) in diameter.

It's the largest mirror NASA has ever built, the agency said, but its size created a unique problem.
The mirror was so large that it couldn't fit inside a rocket. So the NASA team designed the telescope
as a series of moving parts that can fold origami-style and fit inside a 16-foot (5-meter) space for
launch.

Im really interested in the multi spec data to look at when life could have begun in the outer reaches

In a medical first, a man with terminal heart disease
gets a transplant of genetically modified pig heart

A 57-year-old Maryland man is doing well three days after receiving a genetically modified
pig heart in a first-of-its-kind transplant surgery, University of Maryland Medicine said in a
news release Monday.

David Bennett had terminal heart disease, and the pig heart was "the only currently available
option," according to the release. Bennett was deemed ineligible for a conventional heart
transplant or an artificial heart pump after reviews of his medical records.

Three genes that are responsible for rejection of pig organs by human immune systems were
removed from the donor pig, and one gene was taken out to prevent excessive pig heart tissue
growth. Six human genes responsible for immune acceptance were inserted.

Bennett's doctors will need to monitor him for days to weeks to see whether the transplant
works to provide lifesaving benefits. He'll be monitored for immune system problems or other
complications.

Quote:

In a medical first, a man with terminal heart disease
gets a transplant of genetically modified pig heart

A 57-year-old Maryland man is doing well three days after receiving a genetically modified
pig heart in a first-of-its-kind transplant surgery, University of Maryland Medicine said in a
news release Monday.

David Bennett had terminal heart disease, and the pig heart was "the only currently available
option," according to the release. Bennett was deemed ineligible for a conventional heart
transplant or an artificial heart pump after reviews of his medical records.

Three genes that are responsible for rejection of pig organs by human immune systems were
removed from the donor pig, and one gene was taken out to prevent excessive pig heart tissue
growth. Six human genes responsible for immune acceptance were inserted.

Bennett's doctors will need to monitor him for days to weeks to see whether the transplant
works to provide lifesaving benefits. He'll be monitored for immune system problems or other
complications.

(cnn)

Kidneys from genetically altered pig are implanted in brain-dead patient

Surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham reported on Thursday that they had for the first time
successfully transplanted kidneys from a genetically modified pig into the abdomen of a 57-year-old brain-dead
man.

According to the surgical team, the pig kidneys started functioning and making urine after about 23 minutes and
continued to do so for three days, though one kidney made more urine than the other.

The patients’s own kidneys were removed, and there were no signs indicating rejection of the pig organs.

Flying car cleared for takeoff (but you'll need a pilot's license)



A car that can transform into a small aircraft has passed flights tests with flying colors in Slovakia, developers say.

The "AirCar" was awarded an official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority after completing
70 hours of "rigorous flight testing," according to Klein Vision, the company behind the "dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle."

The test flights — which included more than 200 takeoffs and landings — were compatible with European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) standards, the company said in a press release on Monday.

"The challenging flight tests included the full range of flight and performance maneuvers and demonstrated an
astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode," the company said.

This tiny creature survived 24,000 years frozen in Siberian permafrost

Bdelloid rotifers may be the toughest, tiniest animal you’ve never heard of.

The microscopic, multicellular creatures have complex anatomies and are one of the planet’s
most radiation-resistant animals. They can withstand extreme acidity, starvation, low oxygen
and years of dehydration.

“They’re the world’s most resistant animal to just about any form of torture,” said Matthew
Meselson, a molecular biologist at Harvard University.

Bdelloids can also come back to life after tens of thousands of years in deep freeze, according
to a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology. Bdelloids are one of a handful of
teensy creatures, including tardigrades, that are known to survive incredibly inhospitable conditions.
The new findings also show such robust micro-animals
can endure extreme durations of suspended animation as well.