Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Earth’s cloud cover is rapidly shrinking and contributing to record-breaking temperatures, according to new research led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The satellite observations found that between 1.5 and 3 per cent of the world’s storm cloud zones have been contracting each decade in the past 24 years. The trend has been linked to changing wind patterns, the expansion of the tropics and storm systems shifting toward the North and South poles, which are all well-documented responses to climate change. With less clouds reflecting sunlight back into space to keep the planet cool, the warming effect of greenhouse gas emissions is being amplified and driving up global temperatures.
The never-before-seen "nova," dubbed V462 Lupi, recently appeared in the constellation Lupus, after suddenly becoming 4 million times brighter. The shining explosion is visible to the naked eye and can be seen from parts of North America. Classical novas like V462 Lupi, occur in a specific type of binary system, where a more massive white dwarf star is pulling material away from its larger partner. When enough material has been accreted onto the dwarf star's surface, the pressure builds up and triggers an explosion that burns up most of the stolen gas and shoots pulses of bright light toward Earth. The Lupus constellation is located in the southern sky, meaning that V462 Lupi is most easily visible from the Southern Hemisphere. However, it can also be seen from North America, close to the southern horizon, just after sunset.
The researchers discovered that modern humans began to expand the range of habitat types in which they lived starting about 70,000 years ago — they went into forests in West and Central Africa, deserts in North Africa, and places with greater ranges of annual temperatures. During that time, Homo sapiens became the ultimate generalist, and pushed into more and more extreme environments. This discovery "was a huge surprise" and sheds light on why the last major dispersal of modern humans from Africa proved successful. The greater ecological flexibility the researchers saw in modern humans was likely not the result of a single evolutionary adaptation or technological innovation. These new findings may shed light on human evolution in general, including ancient lineages in the genus Homo like Homo erectus and the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
A recent study led by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), suggests that young adults need to step up their exercise routines to reduce their risk of developing high blood pressure or hypertension in midlife. According to the research, boosting moderate-intensity exercise to at least 5 hours a week can significantly lower the likelihood of developing hypertension. The study's authors are calling for increased emphasis on physical activity, particularly in young adulthood, to help prevent hypertension and its associated health risks, including heart attack, stroke, and dementia.
