PAKISTAN

DEMOTED TO ZOO'S
Editorial  

Published August 23, 2021 -

AS reported by this newspaper recently, the Punjab Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department has demoted to the status of zoos four erstwhile wildlife sanctuaries: the Loi Bher and Murree enclaves in the Islamabad/ Rawalpindi area, and one each in Bahawalnagar and Vehari. , there is sense in not continuing to throw good money after bad, so to speak, especially where the welfare of living beings is concerned. All four sanctuaries are in an extremely sad state of degradation, lacking proper facilities and protection for the animals, to say nothing of the absence of visitors. Referring to the Loi Bher and Murree sanctuaries in particular, the notification pointed out the dilapidated infrastructure and absence of water sources, insufficient staff, cages in an advanced state of disrepair (though wildlife parks ought not to have caged animals at all), and sparse numbers of animals and birds. Efforts have been made to improve these facilities, including the possibility of public-private partnerships, but to no avail.

In fact, it is worth asking whether zoos should be maintained at all in this country. The authorities are unable to properly care for the creatures entrusted to them, and not capable of attracting enough visitors to make the projects worthy. It was for these very reasons that the Islamabad High Court ordered the closure of the city’s Marghzar Zoo last year. That said, however, it is vital that the forestry department be fully aware of the very fine line it treads. Both the Loi Bher and Murree enclosures are large nature preserves in areas where land for development is increasingly scarce — and expensive. The former, for example, is abutted by the high-density Korang Town and other developments. There is already reason to worry about encroachments or land takeovers. The demotion of these parks must not pave the way for the eventual eradication of these reserves in favour of pecuniary concerns coupled with land shortages — especially not on the watch of a government that claims it has made environmental concerns a priority.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021

THE NEW COLD WAR
Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

Published August 21, 2021 - 

The writer teaches at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

THE Taliban’s reconquest of Kabul following Washington’s meek withdrawal has triggered speculation amongst progressives that the latter plans to halt China’s economic and geopolitical advance through the age-old method of war by proxy.

After 20 years of stalemate in Afghanistan, is it possible that the US could gleefully watch idly as a Taliban regime in Kabul bleeds a competitor with aspirations for global power? Additionally, even if through different means, does Washington plan to contain China in Latin America, Africa and other parts of Asia too — all regions where Beijing has enhanced its influence over the past two decades?

It was in these same regions that the original Cold War played out between the Soviet Union and the US. Despite reaching the brink of direct conflict on a handful of occasions, the two superpowers never did attack each other’s territory, but proxy wars dotted the globe. Angola, Vietnam and Nicaragua, Afghanistan, were just some of the major theatres of the Cold War.

China is the first and only country that has, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, emerged to compete with the US for global dominance. Depending on what measures one chooses to employ, China is now arguably the world’s biggest economy (albeit only in the realm of production; the US still remains the world’s preeminent financial power). Through the Belt & Road Initiative, Beijing has signalled that it intends to extend its economic influence through a plethora of infrastructural investments. The $65 billion slated for CPEC is but a fraction of the $1 trillion that Beijing is expected to invest in BRI projects across the globe.

Freedom, dignity and equity are at greater risk.

The US experience in Afghanistan makes clear that that even if Washington retains the option to bomb a country to pulp and occupy it with reckless abandon, such imperial adventures do not necessarily advance even a superpower’s overall global standing.

This lesson is what explains Washington’s shift inward. The Biden administration’s first order of serious business was the announcement of a $1tr domestic investment package to rehabilitate America’s crumbling infrastructure. By following through on Trump’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan, Biden has also confirmed that Washington is effectively shifting focus away from the so-called ‘war on terror’ towards strategic containment of China.

It is thus apparent that American imperial strategists are at the very least tempering neoliberal ‘free markets’ and military adventurism — both dominant ideologies in Washington’s policymaking circles since the end of the Cold War. A ‘new cold war’ against China that would allow for military-strategic objectives to be achieved without high-profile ‘failures’ like the war in Afghanistan fits the bill.

But to the extent that increasingly strained US-China ties will shape the fortunes of our putatively shared world for decades to come, it is worth bearing in mind that the prospective ‘new cold war’ is fundamentally dissimilar to the superpower conflict that defined the 20th century.

The USSR espoused socialism as an alternative to global capitalism. It supported national liberation struggles all over the globe. Its practical commitments were certainly flawed, in some places even anti-emancipatory. But the fact that an ideological alternative to capitalism existed at all was incredibly significant.

The ‘new cold war’ has not, at least till now, been characterised by any meaningful ideological contestation. The ‘trade war’ that the Trump administration initiated with Beijing was not insignificant, but trade between the two countries still dwarfs any other bilateral relationship. Similarly, Beijing is partially challenging Wall St­­reet’s financial dominance, but is yet to transcend the logic of capital. Even if I take no other metric, CPEC has exacerbated existing class, ethnic-national and ecological divides within Pakistan. I would be the first person to name China’s developmental footprint anti-imperialist but to date CPEC has not equated to a model of development that transcends capitalism or colonial statecraft.

It is also telling that Beijing is one of the few countries to signal that it could recognise and work with a Taliban-controlled government in Kabul. This implies that China believes it can give as good as it gets in any war by proxy. As if not more importantly, it is not necessarily opposed to right-wing militant ideologies like that which the Taliban profess, so long as there are no spillover effects in restive Xinjiang.

In sum, if we are witness to a ‘new cold war’, the progressive causes of freedom, dignity and equity are at greater risk. Indeed, given Pakistan’s history as a rentier state, the prospect of both China and the US patronising our establishment for competing purposes portends a great deal of conflict and suffering for already brutalised ethnic peripheries, women, working people and minoritarian confessional groups.

The writer teaches at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2021

WAGE THEFT

Black Widow helps Disney collect $125 million in online revenue

REUTERS

Star Scarlett Johansson has sued the company, saying its dual release strategy reduced her compensation.




Walt Disney said in a court filing on Friday that it has garnered $125 million in online revenue from the Marvel superhero film Black Widow, three weeks after getting sued by its star Scarlett Johansson.

The actor last month sued Disney alleging that the company breached her contract when it offered the movie on streaming at the same time it played in theatres.

The entertainment company, in the filing, has countered Johansson's request for a civil trial in Los Angeles by asking for the suit to be sent to arbitration in New York.

Johansson's suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, argued that the dual release strategy of Black Widow had reduced her compensation.

Disney had said there was "no merit" to the lawsuit, adding that online release of the film "significantly enhanced her (Johansson's) ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date.”

The outcome of the suit could have wider ramifications in the entertainment industry as media companies try to build their streaming services by offering premium programming to attract subscribers.

Toronto needs to speed up its electric vehicle infrastructure to meet targets, critics say

The city's aiming to install 10,000 public charging ports by 2030

Samantha Beattie · CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2021

The City of Toronto is testing 17 on-street charging stations for electric vehicles as part of a one-year pilot project. (Robert Krbavac/CBC)

If Toronto wants to reach its ambitious goal of having all residents driving electric vehicles by 2050, it had better hit the accelerator on its infrastructure plans, critics say.

The city's aiming to install 3,000 charging ports curb-side and in public parking lots by 2025 and 10,000 by 2030, according to its electric vehicle strategy. But right now, it has less than 1,000, the database ChargeHub reports.

A pilot project launched last year has seen the city install 17 on-street charging stations, but far more ambitious policies are needed to convince residents to buy in, said The Atmospheric Fund's Ian Klesmer.

"It's really important to meet these goals in order to have a network of reliable and convenient chargers that Torontonians can use to reap the full benefits of electric vehicles," Klesmer said.

He said a steady uptake in electric vehicles is "absolutely essential" for Toronto, and other cities, to hit its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"The faster we can electrify our fleet of cars, the faster we can dramatically reduce carbon emissions, which will lead to a much cleaner and healthier city," he said.

The city told CBC News it is following council's direction and exploring other ways to support electric vehicle sharing fleets, including reducing permitting fees. It's also considering providing incentives for residents and companies to install charging infrastructure on their properties.
Montreal invests in charging stations

Coun. Mike Layton, who represents Ward 11, University-Rosedale, agreed Toronto has a lot of ground to cover, especially compared to other major Canadian cities like Montreal.

Mayor Valerie Plante announced this week the country's second largest city is investing $885 million over three years to electrify its transportation networks. That includes doubling the number of charging stations to 2,000 by the end of 2025 and charging electric car owners less in parking fees.

"What we want to show today is how serious we are in encouraging, supporting, rewarding people that are buying an electric car," Plante told reporters Monday.

Toronto is well positioned to catch up to Montreal and become a North American leader, said Layton, who's pushing for the city to take a more aggressive approach. The city owns both the hydro infrastructure to fuel the cars and parking lots to house them.

In the first quarter of this year, 6.5 per cent of new vehicles, over 9,000 registered, were battery powered, plug-in hybrid or hybrid vehicles, Statistics Canada says. (Hannah Yoon/Canadian Press)

Drivers are gradually buying more electric cars. In the first quarter of this year, 6.5 per cent of new vehicles, over 9,000 registered, were battery powered, plug-in hybrid or hybrid vehicles — almost doubling from 3.9 per cent the same quarter of 2020, according to recent data from Statistics Canada.

The city estimates Toronto accounts for 20 per cent of all electric vehicles in the province. In 2018, there were more than 6,000 registered in total, according to a staff report.

The federal government is pushing for more dramatic increases. It announced in June it wants to see every new car and light-duty truck be emission-free by 2035.

But Olivier Trescases, the director of the University of Toronto's Electric Vehicle Research Centre, said the price of an electric car, which costs more upfront, is deterring people from buying them and it's up to the provincial and federal governments to provide more incentives.

He said the city has limited tools "to drive this change and is pretty cash strapped ... Ultimately this is a huge federal and global issue."

What experts say Canada needs to do to become a leader in the electric vehicle industry

All new cars, light-duty trucks sold in Canada will be zero emissions by 2035, Liberals say

"Range anxiety" also still exists, but big urban centres like Toronto can help address, said the CAA's Theresa Di Felice, an assistant vice president of government and community relations. Drivers worry if they'll be able to find a charging station during a trip, especially if they don't have a driveway and depend on public infrastructure.

But Ontario and its municipalities are facing a chicken-or-egg situation, she said.

"Do you need a critical mass of owners to supply the infrastructure, or do you need to put the infrastructure in place so it encourages people to make that purchasing decision?" Di Felice said.

"We are still having that conversation even though it's been a few years."

Palestinians in Gaza pledge to defy Israel to protest at border

Palestinian groups say they will maintain protests against the Gaza blockade, despite Israeli fire wounding dozens.

Palestinian protesters run as tear gas canisters are shot by Israeli forces, during a demonstration by the Israeli fence east of Gaza City, to denounce the Israeli siege of the Palestinian territory [Said Khatib/AFP]

By Ali Adam
22 Aug 2021

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Palestinian groups in Gaza have pledged to continue protests along the border to pressure Israel to remove its blockade and to allow for the reconstruction of Gaza following the recent 11-day Israeli assault on the coastal enclave.

The factions, led by Gaza’s rulers Hamas, held a news conference on Sunday afternoon in the east of Gaza near the Israeli fence, where protests took place on Saturday in which dozens of Palestinian protesters were wounded by Israeli live fire.

In a joint statement released after the news conference, the groups – which also included Islamic Jihad, the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as other smaller factions – stated that “the Israeli occupation must bear the responsibility for its obstruction of the reconstruction of Gaza, and for the blockade”.

“We call on our people to continue their popular uprising in Gaza and to expand the points of engagement with the occupation, and our popular activity will proceed according to a plan … we will not accept the continuation of the siege.”

Protesters march towards the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, during a protest marking the anniversary of a 1969 arson attack at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque 

[Adel Hana/AP Photo]

On Saturday hundreds of Palestinians protested at the fence separating Gaza and Israel to mark the 52nd anniversary of the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem and to draw attention to the blockade Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007 when Hamas took control of the strip.

Live fire by Israeli forces injured at least 41 Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy who remains in critical condition after being shot in the neck.

An Israeli soldier was injured and is in critical condition from gunfire from one of the protesters. Videos circulating on social media showed several protesters attempting to grab the Israeli soldier’s rifle, visible through a hole in the wall before one of them pulled a gun and fires into the hole.

On Saturday night, Israeli fighter jets struck Hamas’ military positions in the Gaza Strip in response. No casualties were reported.

Ahmed Yousef, a senior Hamas official, told Al Jazeera that is was “natural that the Palestinian people who suffer under a crippling blockade move to take action to pressure Israel and the international community to take responsibility for the situation in Gaza”.

“The Palestinian protesters, and the Palestinian factions, want to raise their voice and remind Israel and especially the international community of their plight, and increasingly so after the recent war on Gaza, and the massive destruction the Israeli military caused.”


The Israeli- and Egyptian-imposed blockade has crippled Gaza’s economy and living conditions have drastically deteriorated after each of the four extensive military operations that Israel launched on the Gaza Strip since the blockade was imposed.

Over 11 days of fighting in May, Israel bombarded Gaza with air attacks, while Palestinian groups fired rockets into Israel.

More than 250 Palestinians were killed, including 67 children and 39 women, and 1,710 people wounded, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including a five-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.


The war also left more than 1,800 housing units in Gaza completely destroyed, and about 16,800 housing units suffered partial damage, according to Gaza’s Public Works and Housing Ministry.

Yousef said that “no significant progress” has been made in reconstruction as construction materials are still largely banned due to the Israeli blockade.

“The scenes of destruction in Gaza are still everywhere,” he said. “The message that the protesters want to convey is that the situation is unsustainable and its continuation will lead to more action by the Palestinians.”
Protesting the blockade

From 2018-2019, thousands of Palestinians attended weekly rallies near the Israeli fence east of Gaza, protesting the blockade and for their right to return to lands they were ethnically cleansed from in 1948.

The protests were met with violence by Israeli forces, who killed more than 300 protesters and maimed hundreds more, but managed to force limited concessions such as easing some of its economic restrictions and allowing Qatar to deliver money in monthly payments to needy Gaza families and Hamas salaries.

Qatar, Egypt, and the UN have brokered talks between groups in Gaza and Israel for a long-term ceasefire following the recent military confrontation.

On Thursday, Israel – which under the leadership of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had blocked Qatari monetary aid to Gaza – announced an agreement with Doha to resume aid payments via the United Nations to thousands of families in Gaza.

However, Israel has continued to block the import of key reconstruction materials, conditioning permission on Hamas’s release of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, however, insists that the issue of Israeli prisoners is a separate issue that must be dealt with only within the framework of a prisoner exchange deal.

“For more than 13 years, Israel has entrapped Gaza in a cycle of bombardment and a blockade that prevents any full rehabilitation from the resultant destruction,” Palestinian political analyst Husam al-Dajani told Al Jazeera.

He said Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip and the collective punishment of more than two million people who live there is a crime under international law.

“The blockade that Israel placed on Gaza has also decimated Gaza’s economy, and all aspects of life, to the point where poverty, unemployment and food insecurity is amongst the highest levels in the world,” Al-Dajani.

“The only thing that the Palestinian factions, and the Palestinian people are doing now, is saying ‘no’ to that grim situation. That’s what they’re doing.”

Medics evacuate a wounded person from the fence of Gaza Strip border with Israel on Saturday[Adel Hana/AP Photo]

Jamil Mizhir, a leader from the PFLP faction, said, “it’s becoming impossible to remain silent in the face of this continued economic aggression from Israel against the Palestinian people.”

“Israeli leaders are in denial if they think that the violence against the Palestinian protesters will break the Palestinian people’s will or deter them from pursuing their struggle for freedom, and for a better life,” Mizhir said.

“We hold Israel and the international community accountable for the continued suffering of our people caused by this unjust blockade,” Mizhir said.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

PAPER: CULTURE, COMPUTING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED “LIFE FORMS”

The idea of broadening the definition of life isn’t wholly new. Astronomer Fred Hoyle wrote a sci-fi novel about intelligent gaseous clouds

NEWS AUGUST 21, 2021

Some researchers are urging us to broaden our definition of life, which may have an impact on the search for life on exoplanets.

In a new paper, published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution, Santa Fe Institute researchers Chris Kempes and David Krakauer argue that in order to recognize life’s full range of forms, we must develop a new theoretical frame.

Although there are many definitions of life, they all assume a strict separation between life and non-life — and that is what the researchers challenge:


Culture, computation, and forests are all forms of life in this frame. As Kempes explains, “human culture lives on the material of minds, much like multicellular organisms live on the material of single-celled organisms.”

Their broader definition of life includes the idea that life has multiple origins; all life did not begin with a single cell; it may not even require cells. Viruses would certainly be considered alive in their scheme.

When researchers focus on the life traits of single organisms, they often neglect the extent to which organisms’ lives depend upon entire ecosystems as their fundamental material, and also ignore the ways that a life system may be more or less living. Within the Kempes-Krakauer framework, by contrast, another implication appears: life becomes a continuum rather than a binary phenomenon. In this vein, the authors point to a variety of recent efforts that quantitatively place life on a spectrum.

On one hand, this broader approach might make it easier to envision, thus look for, extraterrestrial life. We would not insist that it be like life on Earth.

The idea is not entirely new. Astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915–2001) wrote a science fiction novel, The Black Cloud (1957) in which the extraterrestrials turn out to be a dark, gaseous cloud, much more intelligent than humans. The cloud is creating havoc by accidentally blocking the sun but, being so informed, it expresses surprise that there are life forms that are actually solids.

On the other hand, there is a danger is losing a grip on what makes life on Earth unique. Culture, for example, originates as ideas, which are immaterial in character. That makes culture quite different from cells. And, while forests are full of life forms, the concept of a “forest” is an idea in the human mind.

Similarly, however powerful computers may become, insisting that they are “life” could only have the effect of diminishing the importance of biological life. If all computers “went extinct,” the effect on the environment would be negligible compared to what would happen if most pollinators did.

Kempes and Krakauer’s approach sounds like one of those ideas that is better explored in a conference workshop than used for definitions or enacted into law.

The paper is open access.

You may also wish to read: Scientists try to understand how one-celled life forms learn. Artificial intelligence may offer a model for learning without a brain.


MIND MATTERS NEWS

Breaking and noteworthy news from the exciting world of natural and artificial intelligence at MindMatters.ai.

HOW DID OUR CONSCIOUSNESS ARISE FROM THE QUANTUM BRAIN?


SCIENCE
How did our consciousness arise from the quantum brain?

By Faye Welch 

Awareness is a difficult puzzle. According to some, it is so special that it should be separate from the body. However, science usually sees it as a result of the activity of neurons in our brain.

This elusiveness has led some physicists to use relatively elusive quantum physics to explain it. This was suggested in the 1980s by physicist and Nobel Prize winner Roger Penrose. Together with the anesthesiologist Stuart Hammeroff, he developed the theory of quantum consciousness, in which consciousness operates according to the laws of quantum physics.

Curriculum Vitae Fractals and the arts

Christian de Maurice Smith (1964) has been a Professor of Theoretical Physics since 2004 at the University of Utrecht. “I do Picasso-style physics research by reducing complex reality to its basic elements; to understand, classify, and identify connections.” She is interested in fractals because of her beauty.

The proposal of quantum consciousness has been rejected by most scientists. But there were also convinced supporters. That the idea is still alive, noted Professor Christiane de Moraes-Smith of Utrecht University when she published new research this summer with colleagues from China at Nature Photonics. They do not interfere with the theoretical discussion, but describe an experiment that takes a small step to verify whether quantitative processes can occur in the complex network of neurons in the brain.

“I have since received hundreds of responses, sometimes pages long, from other scientists, including Hammeroff,” says de Moraes-Smith. “It’s cool and amazing. The reactions come from all sides, from philosophy to biology, physics and chemistry.”

How does consciousness arise from quantum effects?

“In the quantum world, which deals with the behavior of very small particles, it is possible for a simultaneous superposition of different states; like Schrödinger’s cat, which is dead and alive at the same time. According to Penrose, this superposition is unstable and at some point collapses, subject to what he calls “objective reductionism.” ‘, leaving one state behind. This must be the moment of conscious experience.
READ Asma Bugatat to be elected Science Ambassador 2021

“According to Penrose and Hameroff, the overlays will arise from so-called microtubules (small tubular protein structures) in neurons.”

Why were so many scientists skeptical?

“Quantum effects, such as superposition, are very weak. They are easy to disturb from their environment. In the laboratory, quantum processes are examined and monitored under very controlled conditions and at low temperatures, usually around -272 °C. On the other hand, the human body operates at a temperature Room temperature. Superpositions in the warm and humid environment in cells would not be expected to last long enough to affect brain processes.”

Why are you doing a test search on it now?

“There are recent discoveries that cast doubt on the above. In 2014, for example, graphene was discovered. This is a slice of carbon atoms one atom layer thick. It seems that quantum processes can occur in this material at 27 ° C. Moreover, graphene is made of carbon, which is also the main part of microtubules. In my opinion, these results indicate that it is not impossible for the necessary quantitative effects to occur in our bodies.”

In the body, you also see fractal structures, for example in the lungs, to absorb oxygen

I have also investigated quantum behavior in fractal structures.

“Many structures in nature and in our bodies are fractal. Fractals are geometric objects with a structure that always repeats as you zoom in. An example is a tree that begins with a large trunk that branches, with the branches always having the same structure.

“In nature, the fractal structure is useful for exchange processes because it can cover a large area and contain a lot of empty space, such as the space between tree branches. This is useful for absorbing sunlight or exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment.”

“In the body, you also see fractal structures, for example in the lungs, for oxygen uptake, in the circulation and even in the rhythm of your heartbeat. And also in the network of neurons in your brain.

The question is how consciousness arises in this constantly branching structure. For this, information must be transmitted through that fractal network. According to Penrose and Hamerov, this is done via quantum processes.”

How do you test that in an experiment?

“We are investigating how information is transmitted through an image of a fractal. We did this by measuring the transmission of light injected into three different fractal structures a few millimeters in diameter, which were drawn with a laser on a chip. One of them was the Serpinski Triangle, an equilateral triangle consisting of three Small equilateral triangles with an inverted triangle hole in the center.This pattern is repeating itself increasingly widely.

“We know how classical transport occurs through a fractal structure. This was described in the 1980s by Pierre Gilles de Jean, based on an ant in a fractal ‘maze’. We have now studied how quantum transport passes through a fractal, using particles of light, which are quantum particles .

“Experiments, conducted and conducted under the supervision of Professor Xian-Min Jin from Shanghai Jiaotong University, showed that the behavior of quantum particles moving during a fractal is measurably different from that of a classical particle, such as an ant.”

This is how you can feel, as if your head is in several states at the same time

How does this relate to quantum consciousness?

For this we have to compare our results with the brain. If we observe the same behavior in it, then we can establish that quantum processes occur in the structure of the fractal neurons of the brain. Thus the fractals through which the light moves are a small step in the investigation. We haven’t gotten there yet. Consciousness is so complex that understanding it requires collaboration between physicists, chemists, biologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers.”

Do you think consciousness can arise from quantum processes?

“Yeah, I definitely think it can. In quantum physics you have the collapse of the wave function. It’s about something in different states at the same time, like tossing a coin. When you roll in the air, it’s heads and tails, as soon as the coin lands The wave function collapses and there is only one choice left: heads or tails. It seems very natural to me that the brain uses quantum operations to explore different possibilities at the same time. It can also feel that your head is in several states at the same time. When the wave function collapses, it is aware of something. In my opinion, it would make sense if consciousness were quantitative.”





Faye Welch
“Coffee fanatic. Friendly zombie aficionado. Devoted pop culture practitioner. Evil travel advocate. Typical organizer.”

Astronomers Catch Cosmic Boomerang Effect For First Time
August 22, 2021 Zainab Asif


For the first time, astronomers have observed a cosmic boomerang effect — streams of heavy, molecular gas that are stripped away from a distant galaxy only to circle back and return later.

Astronomers at Yale and Arizona State University led the research team that made the discovery, which had been theorized in simulations but not observed in detail. Their findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The observation offers new insights into the life cycle of galaxies and the structural formations within galaxies, as traced by molecular gas. In particular, the research focuses on a process called ram pressure stripping, in which gas from galaxy clusters acts like a wind that strips away the star-making material inside a galaxy — hastening its demise.

“Astronomers are interested in studying how galaxies grow, live, and die,” said lead author William Cramer, who began the research as a Yale graduate student and is now a postdoctoral research scholar at Arizona State. “Effects like ram pressure that can speed up the normal galaxy lifecycle are very important to understand for this reason. Furthermore, the molecular gas in galaxies is the birthplace of new stars, and therefore studying the effect of ram pressure on it is of paramount importance.”

For the study, the researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope, located in northern Chile, to create a high-resolution map of dense molecular gas in the galaxy NGC 4921 as it experiences ram pressure stripping. The map shows unusual structures that form in the ram pressure “wind” — long filaments of heavy gas connected to newly-forming stars. This dense, heavy gas is thought to be more resistant to ram pressure stripping, perhaps due to magnetic fields holding it more firmly in place.

“When an external force like ram pressure disturbs a galaxy, it offers an opportunity to learn about the internal forces that operate in galaxies,” said co-author Jeffrey Kenney, a professor of astronomy in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “The unusual filaments would not form without magnetic fields, so we also learn about the importance of magnetic fields in galaxies from this ram pressure interaction.”

The ALMA data clearly show filaments of molecular gas connected to galaxy NGC 4921 — the filaments are, indeed, resisting. But then the researchers saw something else: Some of the previously-stripped gas comes back.

“Instead of being thrown out never to return, some of this gas is moving like a boomerang, being ejected but then circling and falling back to its source,” Cramer said. If this gas is recaptured into the galaxy, it can form new stars.

The boomerang effect is significant for several reasons, according to the researchers. It provides hard evidence about the evolution of galaxies; it confirms a long-held theory about galaxy development; and it aids astronomers trying to predict the birthrate of new stars.

“The interstellar medium of galaxies is complex, with many variables that are hard to model,” Cramer said. “This observation is important because it shows that fallback of gas can be detected and allows us to search more broadly to help characterize it.”

Originally Published At SciTechDaily

Factories in Space? Yeah, That's a Thing Now

In 2023, Varda Space and Rocket Lab will put the first space manufacturing plant in orbit.

Rich Smith
(TMFDitty) 

Aug 22, 2021 


Key Points


Varda Space is teaming up with Rocket Lab to put tiny "factories" in orbit.

These 120-kilogram (265-pound) factories will produce high-tech items, which could not be produced on Earth, in zero gravity.

Future orbital factories could be the size of the International Space Station -- or bigger.

It began with a 3D printer. It may end with factories in space.

In 2013, NASA announced it was collaborating with specialized 3D printing company Made in Space on a "Printing in Zero G Experiment" to see if 3D printers could print replacement machine parts, tools, and other equipment for use aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

One of the first items printed in space, says Made in Space, was a simple wrench -- needed to replace an astronaut's misplaced wrench. As it turned out, this was an ideal experiment for two reasons: First, because it demonstrated the advantages of being able to print a necessary item immediately and on-site, rather than being required to "phone home" to Houston and have a new wrench sent up by rocket.

And second, because of the potential cost savings. You see, getting anything physical from Earth to orbit -- be it a satellite or a computer or just a simple wrench -- costs a minimum of $5,000 per kilogram (2.2 pounds). But once it's possible to take raw materials collected "in space," and print them into new, finished items, the cost to orbit will shrink to the cost of emailing a set of instructions to the printer.

And there's a third advantage to manufacturing in space, too -- and it's a big one for investors.


IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

You can't do that here

Turns out that one of the best reasons to manufacture things in space, is the fact that some things can only be manufactured in a zero-gravity environment -- which brings us to Varda Space Industries and Rocket Lab.

S&P Global Market Intelligence shows that Varda Space, which operates out of a Los Angeles suburb just a few miles south of SpaceX, has already attracted $51 million in start-up money from venture capital firms. The company says its mission is to build "the world's first commercial zero-gravity industrial park" in orbit. Only there, says the company, are the conditions right for manufacturing "more powerful fiber optic cables" and "new, life-saving pharmaceuticals" that can't be produced on Earth.

First, though, Varda needs to prove the concept. And for that, it turned to small rocket launcher and soon-to-be IPO Rocket Lab, currently known by its SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) name, Vector Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:VACQ).

As the companies announced last week, Varda has hired Rocket Lab to produce for it three, or possibly four, Photon spacecraft to carry its Varda "space factories" into orbit. Weighing in at just 120 kilograms (265 pounds) each, "factory" is probably a generous term, but Varda says that's big enough to permit each factory to crank out 40 kilograms (88 pounds) to 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of finished goods over the course of three months in orbit. Crucially, these factories will also include "re-entry modules" to return the products manufactured in space to Earth -- which is the ultimate goal of putting factories in space, after all.

Hold on a second...

"But wait!" you object. Even if Varda's space factories are able to successfully turn raw materials into finished products in space, won't they need to bring the raw materials along with them in the first place?

And the answer to that question is "yes." Similar to how things work with 3D printing on the ISS, Varda is going to have to pay to launch both the space factories themselves, and also the raw materials they will work with. So in this first attempt, at least, we won't see any immediate solution to the high cost of moving mass from Earth to orbit.

What it means for investors

That being said, Varda and Rocket Lab are still breaking new ground here, and blazing a trail toward the concept of putting factories in orbit. If they succeed, then the next logical step will be to begin hunting for raw materials already present in space (the moon being the most likely place to prospect). And with access to raw materials secured, Varda envisions a day when it might be building space factories as large as the ISS itself and manufacturing goods in zero gravity at scale.

At that point, it should be possible to cheaply manufacture unique products that can only be manufactured in space, and then deliver them down to Earth.

We're probably years, if not decades, away from seeing this become a reality. But once it happens, an entirely new space economy will be born, offering all sorts of new possibilities for investment. Varda's and Rocket Lab's mission will be one of the first baby steps toward making that happen -- and it will happen in Q1 2023.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

Rich Smith owns shares of Vector Acquisition Corporation. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Rocket Lab to launch satellite aimed at reducing space junk

Geraden Cann  Aug 23 2021

Rocket Lab will carry a satellite to low Earth orbit designed to reduce the amount of dangerous space junk.

Launching from the company’s Mahia Peninsular complex sometime near the end of the year, the Finnish-designed AuroraSat-1 will test its new technology after being released above the planet’s surface.

The new tech includes a water-based propellant system and deployable Plasma Brakes, which effectively create drag in low Earth orbit, slowing craft and making them more susceptible to the planet’s gravitational pull.

The US Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors track more than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris, or space junk.


READ MORE:
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* First New Zealand-made operational satellite sent into orbit, Rocket Lab says


ROCKET LAB/SUPPLIED
The AuroraSat-1 will test various bits of kit designed to help solve the issue of space junk.

However, much of it is too small to be tracked. Because both the debris and spacecraft are travelling at speeds of approximately 15,700 mph, even a tiny paint fleck can damage spacecraft or satellites.

The AuroraSat-1 was developed by Aurora Propulsion Technologies, a Finnish company dedicated to the sustainable use of space.

The CubeSat, which is roughly the size of a toaster, will test the company’s water-based propellant and its system that can help control a satellite’s altitude,or right it, if it starts to tumble.

ROCKET LAB/SUPPLIED
The AuroraSat-1 will be launched to low Earth orbit during the fourth quarter of this year.

AuroraSat-1 will also test its deployable Plasma Brakes.

These combine a very small tether with charged particles in space, which generate drag, which could be used to slow spacecraft and pull them out of orbit when they reach the end of their usable life.

Satellites brought down from orbit will typically burn up on re-entry to the atmosphere.

AuroraSat-1’s tech could one day be fitted to satellites to enable operators to bring them back to Earth, rather than allowing them to accumulate as more space junk.

ROCKET LAB/SUPPLIED
The AuroraSat-1 is only about the size of a toaster, but will trial some fancy new tech.

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said getting the satellite to space would allow Aurora to bring its tech to the market more quickly.

The mission is expected to follow three back-to-back Electron launches in August and September, which will see the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon begun in support of NASA’s Artemis program.

ROCKET LAB/SUPPLIED
The AuroraSat-1 will be launched as part of a ride-share mission from Mahia Peninsular.

Rocket Lab spokeswoman Murielle Baker described space junk as a growing problem.

“With the significant increase in the predicted number of spacecraft needing to get on orbit in the next few years, the problem of space junk will only get worse if action isn’t taken.

“With space junk congesting room on orbit for satellites, there is a risk of collision for all launchers because of it.”

In a separate effort to make space more sustainable, Rocket Lab are also working on a method of recovering the first stage of its Electron rocket, which would usually drop back to Earth and be lost.
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