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Mysterious ‘Fermi Bubbles’ may be the result of black hole indigestion 6 million years ago

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The gargantuan Fermi Bubbles are only visible in gamma-ray light. Where did they come from? (Credit: NASA Goddard)

The center of the Milky Way is a puzzle of invisible, interconnected blobs. There are swooping tendrils of energy visible only in radio wavelengths, hourglass-shaped scars of X-ray light and — towering over it all — the mysterious Fermi Bubbles.

These twin orbs of gas, dust and cosmic rays emerge from the galactic center like two wings of an enormous moth, one on either side of the galaxy’s central black hole. From tip to tip, the bubbles stretch about 50,000 light-years across (that’s about half the diameter of the Milky Way itself), yet are visible only in high-energy gamma-ray light.

Where did they come from? Nobody really knows. But a study published May 14 in The Astrophysical Journal argues that the Bubbles, along with the mysterious X-ray and radio structures surrounding the galactic center, are all linked to the same series of black hole belches beginning around 6 million years ago.

Related: 9 Epic space discoveries you probably missed in 2019

Using several computer simulations, the researchers showed that both the Fermi Bubbles and the nearby X-ray structures could have been formed in one fell swoop by a massive shock wave blasting out of the galaxy’s central black hole, also known as Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*). This shock wave may have begun when the black hole suddenly loosed two enormous jets of ionized matter, flying in opposite directions away from the galactic center at near light-speed. (Astronomers have observed jets like this blasting out of galaxies with big black holes before, though they still aren’t sure why it happens.)

If the jets were wide enough and powerful enough, the researchers wrote, they could have created twin shock waves that blasted through the hot gas on either side of the galactic center. Where the shock waves compressed and heated the gas, the hourglass-shaped X-ray structures formed; the edges of the shock waves, expanding into intergalactic space for thousands of light-years in either direction, formed the Fermi Bubbles. The whole process would have lasted about a million years, the team wrote.

“A forward shock is generated as soon as the jet punches through the ambient halo gas,” the researchers wrote in the study. “[After] 1 million years, the jet is switched off. … After [5 million years], the bubble expands to its current size as observed.”

According to the researchers, the shock-wave hypothesis explains several features of the galactic center, including the extremely high temperatures of the Fermi Bubbles and the fact that the bottom edges of the Bubbles overlap perfectly with the X-ray structures. If a similar, less powerful shock-wave event occurred a few million years later, it could also explain the smaller, bubble-shaped radio structures recently observed at the galactic center, the team added. In other words: These three big, invisible puzzle pieces at the center of the galaxy may fit together much better than scientists previously thought.

Originally published on Live Science.

Where does stress live in the brain? Scientists may have the answer

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A new study from scientists at Yale University have found where stress lives in the brain.

Higher levels of stress are found in the hypothalamus; lower stress are found in the dorsal lateral frontal cortex.

Test subjects were given fMRI scans while looking at images of distress including a snarling dog, mutilated faces, or filthy toilets.

“Despite the distinct roles of these networks, our findings suggest that individuals engaged both positive and negative networks adaptively to attenuate feelings of stress,” the Yale scientists explain in their study. “That is, participants had higher connectivity with negative networks (whose strength predicted feeling less stressed), but, at the same time, had lower connectivity with positive networks.”

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The world currently is suffering from widespread psychological distress from the immediate health aspects of the global coronavirus pandemic, the consequences of physical isolation, fear of infection, dying and losing family members, physical distancing from loved ones and peers, and economic turmoil.

Those most at risk and in need of help are frontline health care workers, older people, adolescents, young people, those with preexisting mental health conditions, and those caught up in conflict and crisis.

A 17-page United Nations briefing pointed to a historic under-investment in mental health needs and called for the widespread availability of emergency mental health and psychological support during the pandemic.

“These findings may help us tailor a therapeutic intervention to multiple targets, such as increasing the strength of the connections from the hippocampus to the frontal cortex or decreasing the signaling to the physiological stress centers,” Rajita Sinha, the Foundations Fund professor of psychiatry and a professor in Yale’s Child Study Center and neuroscience department, told Yale News.

Massachusetts bald eagle population soars, first nest found on Cape Cod in 115 years, officials say

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Bald eagle numbers in Massachusetts have soared so far in 2020, according to state wildlife officials.

They described the ascension as “a dramatic uptick,” with more than 70 active nests located so far this spring.

Among those nests is the first to have been seen with eggs on Cape Cod in 115 years, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, also known as MassWildlife.

OHIO’S BALD EAGLE POPULATION SOARING, STATE OFFICIALS SAY: ‘ONE OF OHIO’S GREATEST WILDLIFE SUCCESS STORIES’

The state said it recently improved the official status of the nation’s most iconic birds from “threatened” to “special concern” within its borders.

While state and federal laws have been established to protect bald eagles from human interference, the birds can fiercely fight for territory with each other and additional airborne predators.

This year also marked the first documented sighting of bald eagles nesting on Martha’s Vineyard, MassWildlife said in a press release — but the eggs in that nest cracked in a battle between the eagle pair and two ospreys.

BALD EAGLES PHOTOGRAPHED NESTING IN SAGUARO CACTUS FOR FIRST TIME IN ARIZONA, OFFICIALS SAY

In other territorial disputes, a rogue eagle invaded other nearby areas and killed chicks in two additional nests on the mainland, MassWildlife said.

Authorities said the rise in active nests and the territorial incidents are “signs of a thriving eagle population in Massachusetts.”

Just a few decades ago, they were in danger of extinction due to habitat destruction, poaching and the contamination of their food supply with chemicals such as DDT, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Over the past several decades, bald eagle numbers have rebounded, and the Fish and Wildlife Service says they are “an Endangered Species Act success story.”

They’ve made a strong resurgence in areas across the country, according to authorities in multiple states.

Ohio authorities announced last month that the bald eagle population there has soared by 151 percent since the last statewide headcount eight years ago. And the Arizona Game and Fish Department shared what it said were the first known photos of bald eagles nesting within the arms of a saguaro cactus taken in the state — a scene that hadn’t been documented with pictures since 1937.

Wildlife authorities say birdwatchers should observe eagles from at least 100 yards away, as approaching a nest could lead parents to abandon their eggs.

For 15 million years, sea snakes have adapted underwater vision, research shows

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Sea snakes have been evolving for 15 million years to adapt to changing conditions in the marine environment, including their vision underwater, a new study showed.

Research led by the University of Plymouth in the U.K. and published in Current Biology has provided evidence of where, when and how often species adapted their ability to see in color.

The findings suggested that sea snakes’ vision has been morphing genetically over millions of generations, giving them the abilty to adapt to diverse environments and still see their prey deep underwater.

“In the natural world, species obviously have to adapt as the environment around them changes. But to see such a rapid change in the sea snakes’ vision over less than 15 million years is truly astonishing,” Bruno Simões, a lecturer in animal bology at the University of Plymouth, said in a statement.

CAT IN FRANCE THAT CONTRACTED COVID-19 SURVIVES INFECTION

An olive sea snake (Aipysurus laevis) foraging in Western Australia.
(Bruno Simoes, University of Plymouth)

DINOSAURS MAY HAVE TURNED TO CANNIBALISM IN HARD TIMES, STUDY SHOWS

Simões said that the pace of diversification among sea snakes, compared to their relatives on land and in the sea, highlights the extreme challenges of their environment.

“Our study also shows that snake and mammal vision has evolved very differently in the transition from land to sea. Sea snakes have retained or expanded their color vision compared to their terrestrial relatives, whereas pinnipeds and cetaceans underwent a further reduction in the dimensions of their color vision,” Simões explained. “This contrast is further evidence of the remarkable evolutionary diversity of snake eyesight.”

In the study, scientists also write that despite being descended from highly visual lizards, snakes have limited (typically two-tone) color vision, attributed to the dim-light lifestyle of their early snake ancestors.

Stroke patients significantly delay treatment amid coronavirus with ‘severe consequences,’ new study reveals

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Stroke patients are arriving at hospitals and treatment centers an average of more than two hours later than they should amid the coronavirus pandemic, new research reveals, imperiling their chance of survival.

A study published today in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS) shows ischemic stroke patients are arriving to hospitals and treatment centers an average of 160 minutes later during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with a similar timeframe in 2019.

Scientists assessed 710 patients presenting with acute ischemic strokes at 12 stroke centers across six states. It compared the period of February and March 2019 (the baseline period) to February 2020 (the “pre-COVID-19” period) and March 2020 (the “COVID-19” period).

CAT IN FRANCE THAT CONTRACTED COVID-19 SURVIVES INFECTION

A new study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke patients’ arrival time to hospitals.
(iStock)

“When it comes to stroke treatment, every minute counts. My colleagues and I have been devastated to see patients arriving at the hospital too late for us to help them,” the study’s lead author, Clemens Schirmer, who is based at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., said in a statement.

“Our findings indicate a dire need for public education to address COVID-19 related fears to ensure people with stroke symptoms seek the lifesaving care they need without delay,” he added.

HALF OF AMERICANS FEAR THEY WON’T GET THEIR PRE-CORONAVIRUS BODY BACK, SURVEY SHOWS

Researchers also discovered a significant decrease in overall reported stroke patients, from 223 to 167, in these same treatment centers from February to March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts affiliated with the Get Ahead of Stroke campaign have said that with serious strokes, up to two million brain cells die each minute, therefore time is crucial. The longer patients wait before treatment, the greater the impact the stroke will have — potentially paralyzing them for life, or worse.

“Stroke care teams across the country have implemented protocols to safeguard patients from COVID-19,” said Dr. Richard P. Klucznik, president of SNIS. “A stroke will not go away if you ignore it, and delaying treatment could eliminate your chance for recovery. It’s critical to pay attention to any symptoms of stroke and call 911 right away.”

DINOSAURS MAY HAVE TURNED TO CANNIBALISM IN HARD TIMES, STUDY SHOWS

According to researchers, for every minute lost, there’s an associated cost of $1,000 for short- and long-term care. A 160-minute delay would result in $160,000 in additional medical costs.

Fox spotted on camera watching intense badger fight

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Apparently, humans aren’t the only mammals that like to watch a good fight now and then.

A fox was spotted on camera watching two badgers go at it near Bristol, England, British news agency SWNS reports.

The fox, which appears to be only a few years old, was captured on film by amateur wildlife photographer Rodney Holbrook. “I believe the two badgers were trying to sort out who is the dominant one or possibly, just getting a wee bit boisterous,” Holbrook said.

Two badgers fight while a fox looks on in Severn Beach near Bristol. (Credit: SWNS)

HILARIOUS VIDEO SHOWS LION CUB SPOOKING HER MOM

“The fox appears to be waiting for the outcome, with a bit of interest,” Holbrook added. “I was intrigued to see the fox just looking on and wondered what was going through its mind.”

The short clip filmed on a hidden woodland camera at night shows the two badgers engaged in a vicious fight. They repeatedly try to bite each other while a fox can be seen clearly in the background calmly looking on. (Credit: SWNS)

Badgers are known to fight each other often, according to Discover Wildlife. The mammals, which have poor eyesight making them easily observed, live in complex social structures, usually comprised of five adults.

Males tend to fight each other in the spring and late summer, during mating season. They will often bite each other on the backside, and can tear off chunks of flesh with their teeth. Females generally fight throughout the year.

Not only do badgers fight each other, but some members of the species also fight with other animals. In December 2019, a video went viral after a group of tourists recorded a python, honey badger and two jackals fighting each other while on safari in Africa.

In 2018, a honey badger got into a tussle with an antelope at Etosha National Park in Namibia, resulting in the antelope flinging the badger with its prodigious horns.

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Stunning Ancient Roman mosaic discovered beneath Italian vineyard

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A stunning Roman mosaic has been uncovered beneath a vineyard in Northern Italy.

The mosaic was first discovered over a century ago, according to a statement released by officials in Negrar di Valpolicella, which is near Verona. Recent excavations, however, have finally brought the mosaic to light, they say.

Once part of a Roman villa that was first discovered over a century ago, the elaborate mosaic has been buried since Roman times. Photos released by officials show that just a small section of the mosaic has been revealed. Significant resources will be needed to make the mosaic fully accessible, they explain.

SINKHOLE IN ROME REVEALS ANCIENT IMPERIAL PAVEMENT

Italy continues to reveal new aspects of its rich Roman history.

The mosaic was discovered beneath a vineyard in Northern Italy.
(Comune di Negrar di Valpolicella)

A sinkhole that appeared near the famous Pantheon in Rome recently revealed an ancient imperial pavement.

Italian news agency ANSA reports that the seven blocks were found about 8.2 feet below cobblestones in front of the Pantheon. They date back to 27 to 25 B.C., according to the report.

ANCIENT MARBLE HEAD DEPICTING THE GREEK GOD DIONYSUS DISCOVERED IN ROME

Last year, archaeologists in Italy uncovered an ancient marble head that likely represents the Greek god Dionysus.

The mosaic was once part of a Roman villa. (Comune di Negrar di Valpolicella)

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Researchers also discovered an ancient fast-food joint in the ruins of Pompeii near Naples. In 2018, experts uncovered a scrawled piece of text on a wall in Pompeii that is rewriting the history of the famous ancient eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Fox News’ Chris Ciaccia contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

Storm reveals 120-year-old shipwreck in Great Salt Lake

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Mysterious 19th-century shipwreck discovered by accident in the Gulf of Mexico

While testing underwater drone equipment in the Gulf of Mexico, a team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made a remarkable discovery, a previously unknown mysterious 19th-century shipwreck. The remains of the hull are more or less intact up to the water line, according to NOAA, which notes that the copper sheathing has protected the ship’s timbers. Experts are weighing the possibility the ship was ablaze when it sank.

A storm has revealed a 120-year-old shipwreck in Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

“Great Salt Lake Storms can be ominous but also fascinating,” explained the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina, in a Facebook post, noting that there has been boating on the lake since the 1880s.

‘MYSTERIOUS GHOST SHIP’ DISCOVERED IN LAKE MICHIGAN

A recent storm revealed the Great Salt Lake shipwreck.
(Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina)

“Some of these boats experienced tragic endings only to be buried in the sand by storms,” it added. “But storms can also uncover them as the most recent one did by the Great Salt Lake Marina.”

The old steel boat likely dates back to the turn of the 20th century, according to the State Park and Marina.

MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK ‘DISAPPEARS’ INTO LAKE MICHIGAN, NEW PHOTOS SHOW

Other U.S. shipwrecks have been garnering attention in recent months. The wrecks of two wooden boats, one of which may be more than 100 years old, were recently uncovered on a beach in northern Florida.

Earlier this year, photos showed a mysterious shipwreck slowly “disappearing” into Lake Michigan.

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Last year, the remarkably intact wreck of a schooner that sank in 1891 was discovered in Lake Michigan.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

6-year-old boy discovers 3,500-year-old clay tablet depicting ancient captive

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A 6-year-old boy in Israel has discovered a 3,500-year-old clay tablet depicting an ancient captive and his captor.

Imri Elya found the tablet during a hiking trip to the Tel Jemmeh archaeological site in the Negev desert with his parents, according to the Times of Israel. He picked up the small clay object and showed it to his parents, who contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority. Officials at the Israel Antiquities Authority then handed the artifact to the country’s National Treasures Department.

The tablet, thought to be from the ancient Canaanite civilization, depicts a captor leading a naked captive. Experts note that at the time the tablet was created, the Egyptian Empire ruled the land of Canaan, which was composed of “city-states” ruled by local kings. Some 3,500 years ago, the region was riven with conflict between the Canaanite kings.

HIDDEN UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS DISCOVERED NEAR WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM

“The artist who created this tablet appeared to have been influenced by similar representations known in Ancient Near East art,” said archaeologists Saar Ganor, Itamar Weissbein and Oren Shmueli of the Israel Antiquities Authority in a statement emailed to Fox News. “The manner in which the captive is bound has been seen previously in reliefs and artifacts found in Egypt and northern Sinai.”

The clay tablet.
(Israel Antiquities Authority)

Imri received a certificate of good citizenship from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israel continues to reveal new aspects of its rich history. Hidden underground chambers dating back 2,000 years, for example, were recently discovered near the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

ANCIENT BIBLICAL ERA TEMPLE DISCOVERED IN ISRAEL

In another project, an Iron Age temple complex discovered near Jerusalem is shedding new light on an ancient Biblical city.

Imri Elya with the ancient tablet and the certificate of recognition given to him by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
(Israel Antiquities Authority)

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Last year, the room in Jerusalem venerated as the site of Jesus’ Last Supper was revealed in stunning detail thanks to remarkable 3D laser scanning technology.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

New coronavirus found in bats is ‘closest relative’ to SARS-CoV-2 seen yet

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A newly published study suggests that bats have indeed been the originator of SARS-CoV-2, after researchers found a novel coronavirus in the flying mammals that is “the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 reported to date.”

The research notes the coronavirus known as RmYN02 was discovered in 227 bats – from 20 different species – that were collected from Yunnan Province in China between May and October 2019. Although it does not appear that RmYN02 can bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibitors as SARS-CoV-2 does, it is genetically very similar.

“Notably, RmYN02 shares 93.3 [percent] nucleotide identity with SARS-CoV-2 at the scale of the complete virus genome and 97.2 [percent] identity in the 1ab gene, in which it is the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 reported to date,” the researchers, who hail from a number of different universities and organizations in China and Australia, wrote in the study.

RESEARCHERS FIND 6 NEW CORONAVIRUSES IN BATS

The study has been published in Current Biology.

In April, the World Health Organization reaffirmed that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease, originated in bats and denied it was “manipulated or constructed” in a lab.

“All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed virus in a lab or somewhere else,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said in comments obtained by Fox News at the time.

Researchers recently found six additional coronaviruses in bats and there may be “thousands” of yet-to-be-discovered coronaviruses that are “present” in the winged-mammals.

Seven strains of coronavirus were also found in bats in Africa, according to a study published earlier this month.

Few have actually publicly claimed the virus was bioengineered, however. Rather, sources have told Fox News that there is increasing confidence the naturally occurring virus was being studied in a Wuhan lab and escaped – as opposed to claims it originated instead in a nearby wet market.

In April, President Trump said the U.S. would halt funding to the WHO while it undergoes a 60-to-90 day investigation into the organization, saying it had put “political correctness over lifesaving measures.”

“We have deep concerns over whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible,” Trump said, accusing the WHO of failing to adequately keep the international community apprised of the threat of the coronavirus.

“The WHO failed in this duty, and must be held accountable,” Trump went on. He added that the WHO had ignored “credible information” in December 2019 that the virus could be transmitted from human to human.

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As of Thursday morning, more than 5.72 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, more than 1.69 million of which are in the U.S., the most impacted country on the planet.

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Fox News’ Bret Baier and Frank Miles contributed to this story.