Skull Of A Woman With Monocephalus Diprosopus. This Is A Form Of Conjoined Twinning Characterized By

An eclipse as seen from space. 

Behold NGC 6357, “cathedral to massive stars.” Credit: NASA, ESA and Jesús Maíz Apellániz (IAA, Spain). (NASA/APOD)

Saturn’s hexagon

This colorful view from NASA’s Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn’s north pole known as “the hexagon.” This movie, made from images obtained by Cassini’s imaging cameras, is the first to show the hexagon in color filters, and the first movie to show a complete view from the north pole down to about 70 degrees north latitude.

Via NASA: In Full View: Saturn’s Streaming Hexagon

ATLASGAL Survey of Milky Way Completed

ESO - European Southern Observatory logo. 24 February 2016

The southern plane of the Milky Way from the ATLASGAL survey

A spectacular new image of the Milky Way has been released to mark the completion of the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL). The APEX telescope in Chile has mapped the full area of the Galactic Plane visible from the southern hemisphere for the first time at submillimetre wavelengths — between infrared light and radio waves — and in finer detail than recent space-based surveys. The pioneering 12-metre APEX telescope allows astronomers to study the cold Universe: gas and dust only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero. APEX, the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment telescope, is located at 5100 metres above sea level on the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile’s Atacama region. The ATLASGAL survey took advantage of the unique characteristics of the telescope to provide a detailed view of the distribution of cold dense gas along the plane of the Milky Way galaxy [1]. The new image includes most of the regions of star formation in the southern Milky Way [2].

The southern plane of the Milky Way from the ATLASGAL survey

The new ATLASGAL maps cover an area of sky 140 degrees long and 3 degrees wide, more than four times larger than the first ATLASGAL release [3]. The new maps are also of higher quality, as some areas were re-observed to obtain a more uniform data quality over the whole survey area. The ATLASGAL survey is the single most successful APEX large programme with nearly 70 associated science papers already published, and its legacy will expand much further with all the reduced data products now available to the full astronomical community [4].

The southern plane of the Milky Way from the ATLASGAL survey (annotated)

At the heart of APEX are its sensitive instruments. One of these, LABOCA (the LArge BOlometer Camera) was used for the ATLASGAL survey. LABOCA  measures incoming radiation by registering the tiny rise in temperature it causes on its detectors and can detect emission from the cold dark dust bands obscuring the stellar light. The new release of ATLASGAL complements observations from ESA’s Planck satellite [5]. The combination of the Planck and APEX data allowed astronomers to detect emission spread over a larger area of sky and to estimate from it the fraction of dense gas in the inner Galaxy. The ATLASGAL data were also used to create a complete census of cold and massive clouds where new generations of stars are forming.

Comparison of the central part of the Milky Way at different wavelengths

“ATLASGAL provides exciting insights into where the next generation of high-mass stars and clusters form. By combining these with observations from Planck, we can now obtain a link to the large-scale structures of giant molecular clouds,” remarks Timea Csengeri from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), Bonn, Germany, who led the work of combining the APEX and Planck data.

Comparison of the central part of the Milky Way at different wavelengths (annotated)

The APEX telescope recently celebrated ten years of successful research on the cold Universe. It plays an important role not only as pathfinder, but also as a complementary facility to ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, which is also located  on the Chajnantor Plateau. APEX is based on a prototype antenna constructed for the ALMA project, and it has found many targets that ALMA can study in great detail.

Comparison of the central part of the Milky Way at different wavelengths

Leonardo Testi from ESO, who is a member of the ATLASGAL team and the European Project Scientist for the ALMA project, concludes: “ATLASGAL has allowed us to have a new and transformational look at the dense interstellar medium of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The new release of the full survey opens up the possibility to mine this marvellous dataset for new discoveries. Many teams of scientists are already using the ATLASGAL data to plan for detailed ALMA follow-up.”

Close look at the ATLASGAL image of the plane of the Milky Way

Notes: [1] The map was constructed from individual APEX observations of radiation with a wavelength of 870 µm (0.87 millimetres). [2] The northern part of the Milky Way had already been mapped by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and other telescopes, but the southern sky is particularly important as it includes the Galactic Centre, and because it is accessible for detailed follow-up observations with ALMA. [3] The first data release covered an area of approximately 95 square degrees, a very long and narrow strip along the Galactic Plane two degrees wide and over 40 degrees long. The final maps now cover 420 square degrees, more than four times larger. [4] The data products are available through the ESO archive: http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/adp/phase3_main/form?phase3_collection=ATLASGAL&release_tag=1 [5] The Planck data cover the full sky, but with poor spatial resolution. ATLASGAL covers only the Galactic plane, but with high angular resolution. Combining both provides excellent spatial dynamic range. More information: ATLASGAL is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), ESO, and the University of Chile. APEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO. Operation of APEX at Chajnantor is carried out by ESO. ALMA is a partnership of the ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world’s largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”. Links: The ATLASGAL survey: http://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/div/atlasgal/index.html LABOCA (the LArge BOlometer Camera) : https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/apex/laboca/ Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR): http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/2169/en Onsala Space Observatory (OSO): http://www.chalmers.se/en/centres/oso/Pages/default.aspx ATLASGAL information at MPIfR: http://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/div/atlasgal/index.html The Csengeri et al. 2016 paper on the combination with Planck data: http://esoads.eso.org/abs/2016A%26A…585A.104C ATLASGAL papers linked in the ESO Telescope Bibliography: http://telbib.eso.org/?q=atlasgal&boolany=or&boolaut=or&boolti=or&yearto=2016&boolins=or&booltel=or&search=Search ESA’s Planck satellite: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Planck_overview Related article: First ATLASGAL release: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0924/ Images, Text, Credits: ESO/APEX/ATLASGAL consortium/NASA/GLIMPSE consortium/ESA/Planck/D. Minniti/S. GuisardAcknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo, Martin Kornmesser/Videos: ESO/APEX/ATLASGAL consortium/NASA/GLIMPSE consortium/ESA/Planck/VVV Survey/D. Minniti/S. Guisard/Acknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo, Martin Kornmesser. Music: Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com). Best regards, Orbiter.ch Full article

Hmm. Things. — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2TnZRqx

There’s a rare type of blood that’s shared by only 43 people in the entire world.

‘Rhnull’ blood doesn’t contain any of the Rh antigens that 99.9% of humans have. It’s often called ‘golden blood’ because it can be given to anyone who has a rare Rh blood type, but there are only 9 active donors, so it’s only used in extreme circumstances.

(Source, Source 2)

It’s Surprisingly Easy To Brew Something Like RNA In A Puddle 

One of the biggest mysteries in science is how you could get life in a place where it doesn’t already exist. Scientists have found some clues, though.

The latest is that Georgia Tech chemist Nicholas Hud was able to create something that looks a lot like RNA — a relative of DNA — using ingredients that would have been common on Earth when it was 4 billion years younger.

The study used two common chemicals left alone in what amounts to a mud puddle. The chemicals synced up and started forming that twisting ladder shape we think of when we picture DNA.

Scientists say this looks like a decent candidate for how simple organisms may have gotten started on Earth, and it wasn’t even all that hard.

Earlier studies have shown you can get some of the building blocks of life in the right situation, like extreme heat or lightning strikes. Some have even been found on asteroids.

The Georgia Tech study shows you don’t even need that much excitement. Swirling puddles could potentially have done the job.

By: Newsy Science.

ELISA

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is a plate-based assay technique used to detect substances such as proteins, peptides and hormones. 

An antigen is immobilized on a solid surface 

It is complexed with an antibody that is linked to an enzyme.

The conjugated enzyme activity is assessed via incubation with a substrate.

Which produces a product that can be measured. 

Direct ELISA

Antigen is coated directly to wells of microtitre plate 

an enzyme-labelled primary antibody that detects the antigen is added.

Advantages  

Fast and minimal steps needed.

Minimum precursor requirement makes it less error prone.

Disadvantages

The immobilization of the antigen is not specific - background interference.

Less flexibility of primary antibody.

No signal amplification –> less sensitivity.

Indirect ELISA

An enzyme labelled secondary antibody interacts with a primary antibody to increase sensitivity. 

Advantages

Offers high sensitivity and flexibility as a secondary antibody can label different primary antibodies

It is cheap (fewer labelled antibodies needed)

Disadvantages

Increased background noise from the secondary antibody.

Extra labour.

Sandwich ELISA

Capture antibody bound to surface.

Antigen-containing sample is applied and captured.

A specific antibody is added, and binds to antigen (sandwiching the antigen between 2 antibodies). 

Enzyme-linked secondary antibodies are used as detection antibodies.

Advantages  

Offers high sensitivity and a highly specific reaction due to 2 antibodies (both have to bind to the antigen).

Disadvantages

For recognition of a specific epitope, only monoclonal antibodies can be applied as matched pairs.

Procuring monoclonal antibodies is difficult and expensive.

Solar System: Things to Know This Week

For the first time in almost a decade, we’re going back to Jupiter. Our Juno spacecraft arrives at the king of planets on the fourth of July. From a unique polar orbit, Juno will repeatedly dive between the planet and its intense belts of charged particle radiation. Juno’s primary goal is to improve our understanding of Jupiter’s formation and evolution, which will help us understand the history of our own solar system and provide new insight into how other planetary systems form.

In anticipation, here are a few things you need to know about the Juno mission and the mysterious world it will explore:

1. This is the Big One

The most massive planet in our solar system, with dozens of moons and an enormous magnetic field, Jupiter rules over a kind of miniature solar system.

2. Origin Story

Why study Jupiter in the first place? How does the planet fit into the solar system as a whole? What is it hiding? How will Juno unlock its secrets? A series of brief videos tells the stories of Jupiter and Juno. Watch them HERE.

3. Eyes on Juno

If you really want a hands-on understanding of Juno’s flight through the Jupiter system, there’s no better tool than the “Eyes on Juno” online simulation. It uses data from the mission to let you realistically see and interact with the spacecraft and its trajectory—in 3D and across both time and space.

4. You’re on JunoCam!

Did you know that you don’t have to work for NASA to contribute to the Juno mission? Amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts everywhere are invited to help with JunoCam, the mission’s color camera. You can upload your own images of Jupiter, comment on others’ images, and vote on which pictures JunoCam will take when it reaches the Jovian system.

5. Ride Along

It’s easy to follow events from the Juno mission as they unfold. Here are several ways to follow along online:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Want to learn more? Read our full list of the 10 things to know this week about the solar system HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Underwater explosions are incredibly dangerous and destructive, and this animation shows you why. What you see here are three balloons, each half-filled with water and half with air. A small explosive has been set off next to them in a pool. In air, the immense energy of an explosion actually doesn’t propagate all that far because much of it gets expended in compressing the air. Water, on the other hand, is incompressible, so that explosive energy just keeps propagating. For squishy, partially air-filled things like us humans or these balloons, that explosion’s force transmits into us with nearly its full effect, causing expansion and contraction of anything compressible inside us as our interior and exterior pressures try to equalize. The results can be devastating. To see the equivalent experiment in air, check out Mark Rober’s full video on how to survive a grenade blast. (Image credit: M. Rober, source)