Connect with us

Published

2 months ago

on

A breakthrough in solar research has been achieved using NASA’s supercomputing technology, revealing new insights into the intricate inner workings of the Sun. The simulations, developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center, showcase turbulent motions within the Sun’s upper layers, using data collected from various Sun-observing spacecraft. These findings aim to enhance understanding of solar activity and its effects on space weather.

Advanced Techniques Reveal Fine Solar Structures

The animated simulations display the vigorous twisting and churning of solar plasma, resembling chaotic flows akin to boiling water. The model demonstrates how materials move within the Sun’s layers, bringing new clarity to solar dynamics. Dr Irina Kitiashvili, a leading scientist at NASA Ames, explained that these simulations incorporate a “realistic approach,” using advanced knowledge of solar plasma to replicate phenomena observed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

The research focuses on recreating detailed structures of the Sun’s subsurface layers, capturing features such as shock waves and tornado-like phenomena. These elements, spanning only a few miles, represent details previously unattainable through spacecraft observations alone. However, global models of the Sun remain beyond current computational capabilities. Instead, smaller regions are modelled to yield a deeper understanding of specific dynamics.

The Sun’s activity significantly impacts Earth, influencing seasons, weather, and space weather patterns. Accurate space weather forecasts are critical for safeguarding astronauts and spacecraft, especially during missions such as NASA’s Artemis campaign. The NASA Parker Solar Probe, set to make a record-breaking approach to the Sun in December 2024, will further support these efforts.

Exploring New Frontiers in Solar Research

The simulations were run on the Pleaides supercomputer at NASA’s Advanced Supercomputing facility, generating extensive data over several weeks. As the Sun approaches its solar maximum period, researchers anticipate uncovering additional phenomena, enhancing predictions of solar behaviour.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Earth’s Hidden ‘Ignorosphere’ Could Provide Insights into Auroras

Published

2 hours ago

on

January 23, 2025

By

Earth’s atmosphere, particularly its upper layers, remains one of the least understood regions of the planet. Despite extensive research on the lower atmosphere, scientists have struggled to collect reliable data on the mesosphere and higher regions. This atmospheric layer, which sits between the stratosphere and space, has earned the moniker “ignorosphere” due to its inaccessibility. The mesosphere’s remoteness has left critical gaps in knowledge about its processes and their impact on Earth’s weather, climate, and phenomena like auroras.

New Dataset Offers Insights into the Ignorosphere

According to research published in Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, a team led by Kaoru Sato, a professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Tokyo, has developed a dataset spanning 19 years. The dataset models the atmosphere up to an altitude of 110 kilometres and incorporates rare measurements from sounding rockets, radar, and lidar instruments. As stated to Space.com, Sato explained that the dataset fills crucial gaps, enabling detailed modelling of processes like gravity waves and auroras.

Implications for Space Weather and Climate Modelling

It has been noted that space weather effects, including charged particles from solar storms, often interact with the mesosphere, impacting phenomena like auroras and ozone chemistry. These interactions, according to Sato, can also generate gravity waves, which play a significant role in global energy transport but remain poorly understood due to limited data.

Addressing Atmospheric Mysteries

Unexplained phenomena such as inter-hemispheric coupling, where cloud formations in the Arctic and Antarctic appear synchronised, are being studied using this dataset. Researchers are also examining the influence of the mesosphere on the ionosphere, where solar winds ionise gases.

The dataset is expected to contribute significantly to understanding atmospheric dynamics, offering new avenues for research on processes affecting Earth’s climate and space weather interactions.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Nothing Teases Potential Nothing Phone 3; Phone 3a, Phone 3a Plus Reportedly Listed on BIS



OPPO Reno13 Series: Strengthening the Reno Legacy with Innovation and Excellence

Continue Reading

Science

ELIZA Resurrected: World’s First Chatbot Revived After 60 Years

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 23, 2025

By

ELIZA Resurrected: World's First Chatbot Revived After 60 Years

ELIZA, a chatbot developed in the 1960s and recognised as the world’s first, has been revived using long-lost computer code found in archival records. Originally created by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum, ELIZA was designed as a conversational program capable of mimicking a psychotherapist’s interactions. The project, conducted by researchers and archivists, marks a milestone in understanding early artificial intelligence and its impact on modern technology. Despite its simplicity compared to today’s AI, ELIZA’s ability to hold a conversation remains impressive.

Reconstruction of the Code

According to a paper posted on the preprint server arXiv, the chatbot’s code was uncovered in 2021 by Jeff Shrager, a cognitive scientist at Stanford University, and Myles Crowley, an MIT archivist. Written in a now-obsolete programming language called MAD-SLIP, the original 420-line code had not been operational for six decades. The research team spent years debugging and creating a computer emulator capable of running the software. ELIZA’s functionality was successfully restored on December 21, 2024.

Preserving Historical Authenticity

As reported by Live Science, researchers encountered a bug in the code but decided against fixing it, citing the need to preserve its historical integrity. Shrager explained to Live Science that altering the program would compromise its authenticity, likening it to modifying an iconic artwork. This decision highlights the importance placed on maintaining the original program’s features, even at the cost of usability.

Impact and Legacy

Experts emphasised ELIZA’s significance in shaping the development of artificial intelligence. David Berry, a digital humanities professor at the University of Sussex, stated that while modern language models surpass ELIZA in capability, its conversational design remains noteworthy. The chatbot was programmed to listen and prompt users, a feature seen as more conversationally authentic than many current AI systems.

The revival of ELIZA draws attention to the need for preserving the history of computer science, as its legacy is considered a cultural artifact reflecting the early days of computational innovation.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Small Carnivores Were Crucial for Early Levant Diets, Claims New Study



New Study Uncovers Discrepancies in Universe’s Expansion Rate, Challenges Cosmology Models

Continue Reading

Science

Zombie Star’s Mysterious Spiky Filaments Baffle Astronomers in New Discovery

Published

4 hours ago

on

January 23, 2025

By

Zombie Star’s Mysterious Spiky Filaments Baffle Astronomers in New Discovery

A strange and ancient supernova remnant, located roughly 6,500 light-years away from Earth, has been puzzling scientists. The remnant, known as Pa 30, surrounds a zombie star cloaked in sulfur filaments stretching across three light-years. Skywatchers first documented the explosion in 1181, but its spiky filaments and structure have only recently been studied in detail. The unusual formation and preservation of these filaments over centuries remain unexplained, prompting astronomers to investigate their origins and dynamics.

New Observations of Pa 30 Nebula

According to a study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, the 3-D structure and motion of the nebula’s filaments were mapped using observations from the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The research, led by Tim Cunningham, an astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, revealed a unique three-layered structure. A central star is surrounded by a one-to-two light-year gap, followed by a spherical dust shell. Extending outward from this shell are the enigmatic filaments, creating the nebula’s spiky appearance.

As reported by Science News Explores, the explosion, believed to be a type 1a supernova, is typically associated with the complete destruction of a white dwarf star. In this instance, part of the star survived, raising further questions about the event’s nature.

Theories on Formation of Filaments

The precise mechanism behind the formation of the filaments has yet to be determined. It was suggested by scientists that a shock wave from the explosion might have interacted with the surrounding interstellar material, bouncing back and sculpting the spikes. The uniformity and persistence of these filaments over hundreds of years add to the mystery.

Future studies will focus on testing these theories and gathering more data to clarify the processes that led to the creation and stability of this unique nebula structure. Astronomers continue to examine Pa 30 in the hope of uncovering more details about its peculiar features.

Continue Reading

Trending