Daily Archives: January 5, 2022

Reading time: 2 minutes detected futuristic

The conquest of space is the dream of many people and scientific progress brings us closer to this saga every year. But it may be more dangerous than we imagine. Future space colonists may already have difficulties providing food, which could lead them to resort to cannibalism. This possibility was pointed out by Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh, Charles Cockell, in interview with metro.

It lists the challenges astronauts would face if humans attempted to colonize places such as Jupiters moon, Callisto, and Saturns moon Titan. Charles Cookeil points out that if the imagined devices of farming and farming failed, the food supply would depend solely on food from planet Earth. But if settlers are too far away or if the land collapses completely that scenario becomes out of the question.

Charles as an agent does not seek to panic anyone and his warning is based on a story dating back to 1845. At the time, Sir John Franklins crew He goes on an arctic exploration mission and tries Look for a way to the northwest of the globe, [naviguant] On boats from the end of the nineteenth centurye century which turned out to contain the most advanced technology of that timeThe astronomer explains. They had canned food [une innovation en 1845] But they got lost, stranded and engaged in cannibalism between them to survive.

With his dark anticipation, Charles as an agent wants to send a warning message. Farming systems will need to be tested and improved on places like the Moon or Mars before space colonization begins. If you throw twenty people hundreds of millions of miles from Earth into a lethal environment instantly on the surface of the moon, you better be sure that it will work, He recommends, Because if it doesnt, it will collapse very quickly.

Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer.

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Space colonization can lead to cannibalism - theinformant.co.nz

China last month lodged a protest at the UN, accusing American billionaire Elon Musks SpaceX of irresponsible and unsafe behavior in space and of twice forcing its Tiangong space station to take evasive action.

Days earlier, it was the US that was complaining about a Russian military exercise that involved blowing up a satellite in orbit. Washington said that the debris created as a result of the explosion was spread over too large an area and included too many pieces large enough to harm other objects.

SpaceX is one of the latest and most sizable entrants to the space business. It has launched 2,000 satellites to form a constellation that provides global coverage of communications, among other services. It has also launched missions into space and plans to eventually embark on a manned mission to the moon for the state-owned NASA. The fierce rival of SpaceX is Blue Origin, owned by another American billionaire, Jeff Bezos, which is also fighting to establish itself as the leader, at least in the US, in all things space.

The list of private entrepreneurs aiming to carve out a piece of space for themselves, their companies or their customers is long and getting longer by the year, as more and more ambitious people from other nations join in. Meanwhile, some of the governments of small nations with deep pockets have set up their own space missions.

While space is big enough, most of the interest right now is in a limited area close to Earths orbit, leading to overcrowding. There are already thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of satellites and debris from older satellites, rockets and other human-made objects circling the Earth.

This belt around the Earth is certain to become even more cluttered, as hundreds of satellite launches are scheduled around the world over the next few years. Until now, space has always been about first come, first served or finders keepers, without any global regulation on how it will be utilized. Little wonder, then, that only rich or militarily and politically important countries have established a presence in space, with a vast majority of the 193 members of the UN having no role to play.

While space is big enough, most of the interest right now is in a limited area close to Earths orbit, leading to overcrowding.

Ranvir S. Nayar

Of the 3,372 active satellites as of Jan. 1, more than half 1,897 belong to the US, 412 to China, 197 to Russia and the rest are shared around the world. Meanwhile, of the 24,943 human-made objects ever put into orbit, the US, the former Soviet bloc, China, the UK and Japan account for the bulk. Algeria and South Africa are the only African nations to have a satellite in space, while none of the small island developing states have one.

With the increasing number of launches, more incidents like those involving SpaceX and the Russian test are likely. Moreover, smaller and poorer countries are likely to be denied the chance to use space for their own purposes for a long time, if not forever, as other nations and private firms carve out chunks for themselves.

It is high time that the UNs Outer Space Treaty got some regulatory teeth to control the number of launches each country can have. And that figure has to include all the satellites launched by governments, private companies, universities and nongovernmental organizations in each country. Perhaps, under the aegis of the UN, the global community could agree on a quota earmarking exclusive rights to space for either individual countries or regional multilateral bodies like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the EU, Arab League, African Union and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Alternatively, since the wherewithal for space research and exploitation is currently restricted to just a few nations, the global community could discuss and work toward a treaty governing the use of space and how to distribute the benefits of any research or activity fairly to all countries.

Just as there is a treaty even if it is only partially effective regulating each nations maritime exclusive economic zones, it is important to have similar restrictions imposed in space to ensure that it is protected for posterity and every single human, rather than allowing rampant and uncontrolled colonization by those who can afford it and who have the capabilities. Space, just like the atmosphere, belongs to every living being and it is important to ensure that everyone has equal and fair access to it.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view

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Space: It's getting too crowded up there - Arab News

Books Alex Wong/Getty Images, File

Readers, get ready.

Another year chock-full of absorbing nonfiction, captivating fiction, and arresting poetry is before us, according to local booksellers.

To get the scoop on the titles that shouldnt be missed among the abundance of new reads, we asked staff members at Harvard Book Store, Brookline Booksmith, Frugal Bookstore, Trident Booksellers & Caf, and Porter Square Books to share the books they are most looking forward to in 2022.

Ahead, the 23 reads the booksellers say not to sleep on as the new year kicks off.

Rachel Cass, a book buyer at Harvard Book Store, recommends picking up this fun debut novel, which follows Olga, a wedding planner for the elite families of Manhattan. While the story touches on the feelings of a modern society novel, it also delves into her relationship with her family; she is the daughter of Puerto Rican revolutionaries and her brother is a congressman. The book becomes about family and community and career and love and politics, and the way that all of those things are tied up together and intertwined in real peoples lives, Cass said.

This memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer about finding and losing things in life is one that several staff members at Harvard Book Store, including Cass, are excited to pick up in the new year. The book is told in three sections. One focuses on the death of Schulzs father, another speaks to her meeting and falling in love with the woman she eventually marries, and the third part examines living in the space between those life events. I love her writing because its really personal and intimate and shes also just one of the smartest writers that I have read, Cass said. Shes just incredibly erudite and can pull in lots of different kinds of text, so its a really unusual and really beautiful memoir.

The new novel from the author of A Little Life is also causing a lot of excitement, according to Alie Hess, head buyer at Brookline Booksmith. The story is divided into three sections, following characters in an alternate version of 1893 America, 1993, and 2093. Hess said the novel examines loneliness, family, and what power does to people. She weaves these three stories together in just an amazing way, Hess said.

Clarrissa Cropper Egerton, co-owner of Frugal Bookstore, is looking forward to the release of this novel. The story follows 30-something Yinka, an Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman, whose Nigerian aunties are constantly asking her when she will be married. Its not quite a romance novel, according to Cropper Egerton, but it follows Yinka as she searches for a date to her cousins wedding and balances traditional expectations and her modern beliefs about love. Shes in the middle of these two different cultures, of being Nigerian, but also British, Cropper Egerton said.

Hess said not to miss this memoir by the author whose novel Girl, Woman, Other won the 2019 Booker Prize. In it, Evaristo delves into her life and work and being the daughter of a Nigerian father and a white Catholic mother. Shes really just literally writing about how she didnt see any books that told her story or in her world, and she wanted books like that, Hess said. So she started writing And of course shes just an incredible writer. So I think [this] is going to be amazing.

Courtney Flynn, manager of Trident Booksellers & Caf, recommends picking up this novel, told through connected stories about an ancient plague that is dug up during an excavation in the Arctic Circle. The stories follow all the ways the pestilence has affected different parts of the world, families, and culture. The book is beautifully written, Flynn said. It talks about society as a whole [and] society within our units of our families. Its really tender and heartbreaking and beautiful.

This novel is one that Ellen Jarrett, a book buyer and an employee-owner at Porter Square Books, is anticipating. The story explores the lives that intersect at a womens clinic in Boston, where the heroine, Claudia, counsels patients. Jarrett said the clinic, Mercy Street, offers many of its patients a second chance in life. [Haigh] hasnt had a novel in quite a while, so it will be good to see something from her, Jarrett said.

One of the books Cropper Egerton suggests adding to your to be read pile is this work of historical fiction. The narrative follows what happens to two siblings after their mother dies and leaves them, as their inheritance, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe. The siblings begin an exploration of their mothers history, piecing together her life in a journey that brings them closer. They find out so much about their mother, their family, and they are at odds against each other so it brings them back together, Cropper Egerton said.

If youre looking for some perceptive nonfiction composed with fun and wit, Flynn recommends this new book. In it, Klosterman turns his attention to the 90s, examining the era with a birds eye view. He talks about TV and music and film and sports, politics, Flynn said. And Im sure he does it in his clever, witty way, with an eye for humor and irony as well. So that one is going to be really fun.

The sequel to Black Leopard, Red Wolf isnt to be missed, according to Cropper Egerton. Often described as an African Game of Thrones, the latest installment of Jamess Dark Star trilogy is told from the perspective of Sogolon the Moon Witch, who refuses to bow to any man across a century-long feud. It talks about power, personality, Cropper Egerton said. It talks about sexism. Theres just so many different layers.

The new work of fiction by the author of The Buddha in the Attic and When the Emperor Was Divine is another example of Otsukas ability to write short, beautifully spare novels, Hess said. The story follows a group of people whose lives intersect at the public pool where they swim laps and what happens when a crack in the pool forces the facilitys closure. One of the swimmers is a woman who is on the verge of dementia and becomes lost with the pools closure. Her daughter comes in sort of too late and they have a very hard relationship So its painful, but spare Its really beautifully done, Hess said.

Cass said this novel is another that several staff members at Harvard Book Store are excited about, since its been several years since the authors debut work, Pond. The new story follows a young woman, who has a job as a checkout clerk and is learning to write. [She] is sort of learning how to turn her life, turn her observations about life into stories, while also sort of figuring out how to live in the world, Cass said.

Jarrett said this novel is another to add to the list in 2022. The story, inspired by the 2017 fall of Zimbabwes president Robert Mugabe, is about the demise of an oppressive regime and the chaos of revolution, presented in an uncannily recognizable anthropomorphic allegory, Jarrett said. In her bold, vividly imagined novel, animal voices call out the dangerous absurdity of contemporary global politics, Jarrett said. So its a totally original rendering of the illusory and transient character of power.

If nonfiction is more your tempo, Jarrett said to consider this new book by Kayyem, a local author who is a frequent commentator in the media due to her expertise organizing governmental responses to crises and disasters. She served as assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama administration and currently is a professor at Harvards Kennedy School of Government. In this new [book], she lays the groundwork for a new approach to dealing with an inevitable disaster before it hits, using anecdotal and real life examples she applies her seven steps for getting ahead of catastrophe, Jarrett said.

In Cains last book, Quiet, she examined the idea that introverts may have more to say than society gives them credit for. In her new work of nonfiction, the author turns her attention to talking about grief and sorrow and how those experiences are useful to our lives, Flynn said. She does a great job of turning her eye to something and flipping on its head how those terrible times of grief can end up opening up our worlds to something more, she said.

Fans of A Visit from the Goon Squad will not want to miss this new novel, Hess said. In the new book, Egan has taken a few of the minor characters from her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and made them into the main characters. The story centers around a tech tycoon who creates a new technology Own Your Unconscious, which gives people access to every memory theyve ever had and the ability to share their memories in exchange for those belonging to others. Everyone, ironically, is looking for and desperately longing for real connection but using this fake way of doing it, Hess said. The story delves into the ramifications and how, as we know, certain tech giants or certain people can become so all-empowered, so just all powerful, Hess said.

Cass said this heist novel, based on the true story of Chinese artwork that was disappearing from Western art museums, is a fun read to look forward to. Its about colonization of art and repatriation of art and all of those issues, but it also sounds like its just going to be a really fun heist novel, she said. And a lot of it is also set in Boston and Cambridge, so I think that will have a lot of local interest, too.

Readers of St. John Mandels previous books will find this new novel of light dystopia a delight and those who havent read her work before will also highly enjoy it, Flynn said. The story is set in the past, the present, future, and further future, and includes some Easter eggs from The Glass Hotel and Station Eleven. Her writing is amazing; its quietly devastating, Flynn said. This book does include a pandemic, so theres this visceral reaction to that since were experiencing that ourselves. But she processes it in such an interesting way, and it was such a delight to read, even while being slightly sad and depressing. But the writing is just exquisite.

Both Jarrett and Hess say this poetry collection, Vuongs second, should be on your radar in 2022. In it, Vuong grapples with his grief following his mothers death and shifts through themes similar to those captured in his bestselling novel On Earth Were Briefly Gorgeous. Personal loss, the meaning of family, and the cost of being the product of an American war in America, Jarrett said. The poetry is just incredible and so moving, Hess said. Anyone can read it and cull from it what they need from it at that time, which I love because it really speaks to so many people across many aspects of life.

If youre looking for an uplifting read, Jarret recommends this forthcoming memoir. In it, Ephron, a bestselling novelist and screenwriter, delves into losing her sister, Nora Ephron, and husband, Jerry, in the space of a few years. In her grieving process, she wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, which caught the eye of a man named Peter, who was recently widowed himself. Now both in their 70s, he and Ephron had dated 50 years earlier. When she wrote this op-ed it precipitated them exchanging emails and then they finally met and a whirlwind romance ensued and they ended up getting married, Jarrett said. It was Ephrons second chance at love. It is a fun and rewarding read.

This novel is pure delight and quirky fun, according to Flynn. The narrative follows a young woman who returns to her small New Hampshire town from California. The golden child in her family, she returns to a family in disarray and as a medical school dropout. Her father has a degenerative disease that is causing him cognitive and physical issues, her brother is in recovery for addiction, and her mother is kind of checking out, Flynn said. Shes coming back to this crazy scenario and trying to put the pieces together, she said. Meanwhile, she needs her own pieces put together. Its a bit of a mystery as well. Her best friend has gone missing. So theres this thread of mystery that youre trying to figure out where she went.

Griffith is a beloved author by staff at Harvard Book Store, and Cass said everyone is excited about her new novella, a queer fantasy retelling of the legend of King Arthur. It sits in this space thats really popular right now of retelling ancient stories, ancient tales, ancient myths for modern audiences, Cass said. But Nicola Griffith is a really singular writer and she also is sort of a pioneer of crip lit. So shes sort of got all these unique takes on the world. So I think thats going to be a really interesting book.

Cropper Egerton said this memoir by the award-winning actress is one she cant wait for. In it, Davis delves into her life and career starting with her childhood in Rhode Island to the barriers shes broken in Hollywood. Shes very honest, shes very open So it just chronicles her journey and talks about her story at the beginning, where she started and where shes at now, Cropper Egerton said. And I think its a phenomenal story of her.

Editors note: John Henry, who owns Boston Globe Media Partners, is also a part-owner of Harvard Book Store.

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23 books to look out for in 2022, according to local experts - Boston.com

NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has lifted off! Its an exciting day for the space enthusiasts among us. And even if you arent as well versed in space exploration and discovery, the Webb Telescope has exciting potential that will impact all of us here on planet earth. News outlets have described the telescopes journey as a quest to the edge of time itself and scientists eagerly anticipate new data about the birth of the universe as the telescope flies into action.

Today were going to take a look at the details of the James Webb Telescope, what scientists anticipate this technology can accomplish, and what it might mean for us back here on Earths surface as we navigate challenging times on both global and local scales.

For as vast and expansive as our home galaxy is, our connections to each other and the questions that inspire these pursuits define our species and illuminate critical information and survival on this planet and beyond.

The James Webb Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas morning December 25, 2021. At the same time when many children around the globe rushed to see what Christmas presents had landed from Santa in the night, the JWST lifted off from the Ariane 5. The launchpad is part of Europes spaceport located in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket ignited and sent the telescope rocketing out of our atmosphere and into space. We are expecting to see the light from the first galaxies that formed some 100 [million], 200 million years after the Big Bang, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a recent briefing.

NASA developed the JWST in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA). The intention behind the JWST is that it will succeed and expand the Hubble Space Telescope, which has enchanted scientists and children alike for the last 30 years. The Hubble telescope succeeded in determining the age of our universe (13.8 billion years). It has helped scientists to discover two moons around pluto. The images from Hubble contributed to calculations on how fast the universe is expanding. It illuminated that almost every galaxy we have so far discovered has a black hole, anchoring its center. The JWST is the next step in these significant leaps in our cosmic understanding.

Even though JWST is intended to supersede Hubble, it is actually only half the size of the older space telescope. However, Webbs primary mirror is over 6 times larger than Hubbles. The mirror is 21 ft in diameter. Made of gold-coated beryllium reflector, it has 18 hexagonal mirrors. Scientists have designed the Webb Telescope in this way to provide improved infrared resolution of images and will also empower an exciting amount of new investigations in the fields of astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology.

A critical design element of the telescope is its sunshield. The sunshield is important because the mirrors must be cold and out of the suns heat. It is designed to always block the mirrors from the sun, moon, and earth and will passively radiate the telescopes heat into space. The shield is made up of 5 layers. Each successive layer is cooler than the last. The vacuum created between each layer functions as insulation which disrupts the conduction of heat better than a single, large layer. Overall, the shield will protect the telescope so that the sensitive scientific instruments will be better able to detect infrared light from very distant and faint objects.

The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) is the telescopes framework. It incorporates four scientific instruments as well as a guide camera. The four instruments are: the NIRCam (Near InfraRed Camera) which is an infrared imager; NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) will also perform spectroscopy over the same wavelength range; MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) will measure the mid-to-long-infrared wavelength range from 5 to 27 m; and FGS/NIRISS (Fine Guidance Sensor and Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) which will stabilize the light of sight of the telescopes observatory.

There is also a spacecraft bus a term which, if you grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s, may remind you of Mrs. Frizzle and her magic school bus, but is actually in reference to the primary support component of the telescope which will provide computing, communication, electrical power, propulsion and structural parts to the telescope as a whole.

These scientific instruments and frameworks add up into an incredible piece of space technology. This technology enables ongoing and yet-to-be-determined investigations and explorations that will include some very far-reaching elements of our universe. But what is it that were hoping to find in the far reaches of space, exactly? Aliens?

When Homo sapiens look up into the sky, we tend to ask big questions. What we seek up there in the stars can be an ineffable quandary but it can also be a scientific hypothesis. Telescopes have already empowered us to learn so much about our solar system. From the Aztec star charts, to 1600s Netherlands, to Galileo, and up to today, these discoveries have shaped our species and planted seeds of cosmic curiosity.

With the James Webb space telescope launch, there is a continued legacy of hopes, dreams, hypotheses, and explorations that become possible to undertake for us as a species. There are big questions to pursue as has been true in every decade of our evolution.

Examples specific to this telescope launch include the formation of first galaxies and the potential identification of habitable exoplanets and their atmospheres. We might be able to glimpse the first stars to light up the universe. The telescope will be able to observe black holes and quasars with unmatched sensitivity and detail possibly revealing the mysteries of their complex structures.

According to Nasa administrator Bill Nelson, JWST has the potential to open up the secrets of the universe. It can sound like a sci-fi novel to the uninitiated but it is real life, in the real world, floating in a real universe and fascinating mystery and astronomy principles. The first images from the Webb telescope are expected to arrive in summer 2022.

Obviously, the stakes are quite high as is anticipation. While we wait for the images of the telescope to come in, maybe we can take the time to ask: who is James Webb? And why did NASA and global collaborators choose to name this incredible telescope after him?

Webb ran the fledgling space agency, NASA, from 1961 1968 and is most linked to the Apollo space program of that era. To many, he is a government figure whose work balanced human curiosity and space flight with science. According to NASAs online site, Webb did more for science than perhaps any other government official and that it is only fitting that the Next Generation Space Telescope would be named after him. There has been controversy over Webbs legacy and potential involvement in the lavender scare that took place in NASAs history an assault on LGBTQ workers of which there is a continued need for reconciliation. NASA declined to change the name.

When NASA administrator Sean OKeefe announced the name of JWST, he explained that [James Webb] took our nation on its first voyages of exploration, turning our imagination into reality.

It is a striking moment in history. A telescope that can reach the ends of time, named for a man whose life work was dedicated to human curiosity and potential, launched on Christmas day in the midst of a harrowing global pandemic. 2021 was a year characterized by misinformation, ghastly politics, and crumbling social structures that we all depend upon and also, apparently, hope and optimism via telescope. Its a lot to take in.

The questions surrounding how we use our resources and who gets to decide is an emotional debate. We do not all agree and acute crisis surrounds all but the luckiest of our species. Billionaire business owners launch themselves into space while their workers contract a deadly virus from working in warehouses for wages that do not cover even the most basic living expenses. Where do space travel and space science fit into all of this? Especially when a project like JWST comes at a high cost, of course. The commissioning cost for the telescope swoops in at a whopping 8.8 billion dollars so far. Our dominant culture is coming around the fact that our resources are not infinite. Our planet has limitations that will demand our adherence, one way or another.

The Webb Telescope isnt some impulsive whimsey of spending and space colonization. This technology has been in the works since the 1980s. This telescope and observatory have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe and better inform our understanding of how our planet and our species fit into that cosmic web.

And boy, do we ever need some perspective. As the omicron variant rages through our communities we will all answer these philosophical and tangible debates according to our lived experiences and value systems. Maybe the James Webb Space Telescope, in addition to illuminating certain astronomy and cosmology theories, might also apply to our mundane, everyday lives. What does it mean to turn our imaginations into reality? How might our own planet look if we were able to cultivate connective relationships and a shared curiosity?

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Lift Off! The James Webb Telescope Is Headed to Space - Earth.com