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William Shatner, 90, is reportedly going to become the oldest person to fly into space on board Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket. Shatner, who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the popular Star Trek franchise, is set to be part of the second crew to fly into space in the New Shepard capsule in July. Bezos and his team took the inaugural Blue Origin space flight and spent a few minutes in zero gravity. The Amazon founder is in a race with other private players like Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to tap the evolving space tourism market likely to be worth at least $3 billion (roughly Rs. 2.2 lakh crores) by 2030.

According to a report by TMZ, Shatner will be aboard the 15-minute flight that is expected to take off in October and the entire mission will be filmed for a documentary. He has previously expressed his desire to take a space flight. Last year, the actor shared an image of himself in a spacesuit and tweeted it to US space agency NASA, asking if could join the SpaceX crew to the International Space Station.

Shatner or Blue Origin is yet to officially confirm the news. The TMZ report did not offer any further details.

When Bezos and his team went to the space for a brief period in July this year, the last civilian seat on the flight was auctioned for $28 million (roughly Rs. 205 crores). Bezos and his crew of three travelled beyond the Karman Line, considered the edge of space, located at an altitude of 100km above the Earth. As they entered zero gravity, the team members floated within the capsule in awe, according to a video shared by the billionaire entrepreneur.

However, Bezos also had to face backlash as some Amazon customers began canceling their Prime membership, saying there were against funding the private space trips of a billionaire.


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Antarctic Ozone Hole Might Fully Recover by 2066, Claims New Study

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Antarctic Ozone Hole Might Fully Recover by 2066, Claims New Study

Each year, a seasonal thinning of the ozone layer appears over Antarctica, a reminder of environmental damage done by industrial chemicals. However, 2024 has brought encouraging news, as this year’s ozone depletion was smaller than in previous years, sparking optimism about the ongoing recovery of the atmosphere’s protective layer. In recent monitoring from September to mid-October, scientists from NOAA and NASA observed that the ozone hole over Antarctica was the seventh smallest in recorded history.

Although still substantial in size, averaging around three times larger than the continental United States, it peaked at 8.5 million square miles on 28 September before beginning to contract.

As per a report by Earth.com, the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty ratified in 1992, has played a critical role in this improvement. By phasing out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the treaty helped reduce chemicals that harm the ozone. This year’s relatively smaller hole is a direct result of these efforts and a fortunate influx of ozone-rich air moving southward, replenishing the atmosphere over the Antarctic.

Decreased CFC Levels Brings Hope for Recovery

Dr Paul Newman, NASA’s head of ozone research, noted that “the 2024 Antarctic ozone hole is smaller than those observed in the early 2000s, reflecting the gradual recovery that’s been ongoing for two decades.” This positive trend underscores the impact of global cooperation to control ozone-depleting substances.

Despite this progress, scientists are cautious. Stephen Montzka of NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory highlights that recovery remains a slow process. CFCs still in the atmosphere will linger for decades before fully breaking down. Bryan Johnson, a research chemist at NOAA, pointed out that the 2024 ozone concentration reached a low of 109 Dobson units, significantly below 1979 levels of 225 units.

International Monitoring and Future Prospects

NASA and NOAA will continue tracking the ozone layer closely. They will use satellite instruments and weather balloons launched from Antarctic stations to measure the ozone levels. As existing CFCs slowly degrade, scientists anticipate steady improvements, aiming for a full restoration of the ozone layer by 2066.

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Researchers Identify Amygdala Cell Clusters To Treat Anxiety

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Researchers Identify Amygdala Cell Clusters To Treat Anxiety

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have identified distinct cell types within the amygdala that may hold the potential to revolutionise treatment for anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders. This discovery could pave the way for more focused therapies targeting the specific cells responsible for anxiety-related conditions, a major step forward in understanding and managing these complex disorders. The findings were detailed in the American Journal of Psychiatry on October 30, highlighting the amygdala’s role as a critical structure in emotion regulation and its potential as a focal point for therapeutic advances.

Exploring the Role of the Amygdala in Emotional Disorders

The report was published on Psychiatry Online. As per the research, Drew Fox, Associate Professor in UC Davis’ Department of Psychology, explained the amygdala’s fundamental role in processing emotions like fear and anxiety, pointing out that these conditions impact millions globally. Despite the longstanding interest in whether amygdala size or structure links to emotional disorders, Fox noted that previous studies show limited correlation between overall amygdala size and anxiety or depression. Instead, the focus is shifting toward the amygdala’s cellular composition, where certain clusters may serve distinct emotional functions and could be directly involved in the onset of anxiety and related disorders.

Advanced Techniques Reveal Cellular Insights

The UC Davis team, led by graduate student Shawn Kamboj in collaboration with Professor Cynthia Schumann from the UC Davis School of Medicine, used single-cell RNA sequencing to isolate specific cell clusters in both human and non-human primates. This advanced approach allowed researchers to sort cells based on their gene expression patterns, identifying cells that likely contribute to emotional dysregulation. By isolating genes actively expressed within each cell, the team mapped a comprehensive cellular profile that could help in translating findings from animal models to human applications.

FOXP2 and Potential Drug Targets for Anxiety

Among their discoveries, researchers highlighted cells expressing the FOXP2 gene, which they believe plays a ‘gatekeeper’ role within the amygdala. Located at the amygdala’s edges, these FOXP2-positive cells are thought to regulate signals associated with anxiety. In rodent models, this group of cells appears to act as a checkpoint, controlling the flow of information related to fear responses. The team also identified Neuropeptide FF Receptor 2 (NPFFR2) in these cells, offering a promising target for future drug therapies.

Implications for Anxiety Treatments

This research could give advance treatment options by showing how specific cell types contribute to anxiety, potentially allowing for therapies aimed at ‘chokepoints’ in emotional processing. According to Fox, the aim is to develop interventions that specifically address the cells influencing anxiety,making way for highly targeted and effective treatments.

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Shenzhou 18 Astronauts Return to Earth Post Six-Month Space Mission

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Shenzhou 18 Astronauts Return to Earth Post Six-Month Space Mission

After a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu safely returned to Earth, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China. Having launched on April 25, the crew concluded their mission on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with the capsule landing at approximately 12:24 p.m. EST (or 12:24 a.m. Beijing time on November 4th). All three astronauts are reported to be in good health following their extended stay in orbit, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Mission Highlights and Scientific Endeavours

As per a recent report by Space, Commander Ye and his crewmates conducted numerous scientific investigations, which included studying ancient microbes and conducting emergency drills during this tenure. The astronauts also completed a record-breaking spacewalk in May and another in June, during which they installed shielding to protect the station from space debris. Commander Ye made history, becoming China’s first astronaut to accumulate over 365 days in space, following his prior involvement in the Shenzhou 13 mission in 2021-2022.

The astronauts captured views of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, from where they launched in April, as well as China’s Wenchang spaceport, located on Hainan Island, where modules of Tiangong were previously launched.

Space Station Expansion Plans and Future Crews

The Shenzhou 18 crew welcomed the arrival of their successors, the Shenzhou 19 team, aboard Tiangong on 30th October, marking a brief period where six astronauts shared the station. The official handover of station command to Shenzhou 19’s Commander Cai Xuzhe took place on 1st November, continuing China’s practice of smooth orbital transitions since Tiangong’s completion in late 2022.
Chinese space officials plan to expand Tiangong with three additional modules, forming a double T-shaped structure. The expansion will support continuous occupancy, and a Hubble-class telescope is also scheduled for launch to the same orbit, where it will dock with the station for maintenance.

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