UK Research and Innovation’s Post

Thriving in Space:  Ensuring the Future of Biological and Physical Sciences Research: A Decadal Survey for 2023-2032

A groundbreaking study published in PNAS unveils a fascinating pattern in the evolution of human societies. Researchers analyzing a massive dataset spanning 10,000 years and 30 regions discovered that a single dimension of social complexity can explain a significant portion of the variation in how societies are organized. This finding challenges the notion that each society follows a unique developmental path, opening new avenues for understanding the forces that have shaped human history. It highlights the power of interdisciplinary collaboration between the sciences and humanities in unraveling the complexities of our past. #SocialComplexity #HumanHistory #Evolution #PNAS #Research

🎉 Let the celebrations begin! 🚀 Thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our PhD student, Dr. Laura Borella, for successfully defending her thesis titled "Exploring New Space Materials with ISRU and Image Analysis for Space Applications: A Case Study on the Moon." 🌕 Your dedication and hard work have truly paid off! Here's to many more achievements and successes ahead. Ad maiora, Dr. Laura! 🌟 #PhD #ThesisDefense #SpaceResearch"

What would you bring with you to a desert planet? Here's what our speaker Kenn Sebesta has to say. Join the discussion on May 24 at 1PM ET at "Space Travel with Earth Wisdom," our research symposium featuring researchers who are working at the intersection of space science, ecology, sustainability and machine learning. View the agenda and register here: http://spr.ly/6049dzhsc This Focused Research Program event is organized by Boston University's Hariri Institute for Computing supported by Boston University's Department of Astronomy, Department of Computer Science, Department of Earth & Environment, and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. #space #science #ecology #sustainability #ML #machine_learning

Congratulations to Dr. Shaily (Assistant Professor #scsetbennett) for acceptance of the #research paper, “Cosmic analysis of a model in higher-order gravity theory” for #publication in the Astronomy and Computing, Elsevier. The late-time cosmic acceleration is investigated in modified gravity theory with higher-order curvature terms of the Ricci scalar and the Gauss-Bonnet invariant. The gravitational field equation is analyzed with an appropriate parameterization of the Hubble parameter, and the cosmological constraints on model parameters are derived by using the Hubble, Pantheon, and their joint dataset. It is demonstrated that the best-fit values of the model parameters are in close agreement with the recent observations. Moreover, it is shown that the deceleration parameter transits from a decelerating to an accelerating phase in the late-time universe and that the equation of the state parameter converges to the quintessence region, and the accelerated expansion of the universe is realized. Furthermore, perturbation analysis has been performed concerning the Hubble parameter and the energy density to examine the stability conditions of the model under the observational constraints. The energy conditions, the statefinder diagnostic, and the description of a scalar field theory are also investigated. #bennettuniversity #FacultyatBU #cosmicacceleration #cosmological #bestfit #perturbation

Galactic disk - Dictionary of Space Concepts UNIVERSEH European University   ✨ Description: A galactic disc is a component of disc galaxies. An example are spiral galaxies and the Milky Way. The set-up of Galactic discs are a stellar component (these encompass the majority of the galaxy's stars) as well as a gaseous component (simply largely composed of cold gas and dust).    💡Etymology: The term galaxy was derived from the Greek word galaxas (kklos) (o), which means "milky (circle)," and was called by its appearance in the sky as a milky ring of light.    You can find these terms and many more in the Dictionary of Space Concepts, an online dictionary of space science terms and concepts! 🚀      📖 The dictionary is constantly evolving in terms of content and quality, thanks to continuous contributions from students and staff. Check out other terms here: https://s.agh.edu.pl/yAbcj 

Student cleans up archival data and uncovers two stellar cocoons. The NACO archive contains data on 57 young stars. Twenty stars had known dust disks or substructures. Master's student Sam de Regt (Leiden University, the Netherlands) discovered two new images of YLW 16A and Elia 2-21 (bottom left and bottom center), while cleaning up the archive. While investigating 16 years of images of young stars from a retired astronomical camera, Leiden master's student Sam de Regt discovered that two of those stars were still enveloped in birth clouds that had not been seen at this level of detail before. This method allows astronomers to distinguish between the extremely bright, unpolarized light from a star and the faint, polarized light reflected from dust particles located in a disk around the star. In such dust disks, planets can be formed. Ginski and Kenworthy suggested to De Regt to reanalyze archival images from the NACO instrument. That instrument was located on the Very Large Telescope in Chile from 2003 to 2019 and contains data from 57 young stars. After cleaning up the images, De Regt saw dust disks around twenty known stars. To his surprise, in addition to those 20, two other stars were found to contain dust structures in these observations: YLW 16A and Elia 2-21. These protostars are located some 360 light years towards the constellation Ophiuchus (known as the serpent-bearer). Openly accessible "I find it super cool that we have made two new images of these stellar cocoons," says De Regt. "Furthermore, it is of course great that, thanks to the standard procedure we developed, the data have been reduced and are openly accessible via a Zenodo archive." Thesis supervisor Matthew Kenworthy adds, "This allows other astronomers to carry out research with this data, breathing new life into it. It's a good example of the Open Science principle." "The fact that Sam managed to achieve this in a few months is fantastic," says graduation supervisor Christian Ginski. "We don't often witness such productivity." #stellar #cocoons #NACO #stars #dust #disk #constellation #Ophiuchus

Summer starts next week, so it's time to start that Summer reading list. Here is one to start the list: the Soul of an Octopus, a wonderful book by Sy Montgomery. Warm up for the book with Science Friday's #Cephalopod week. https://lnkd.in/e6xHruC4 #stem #science #technology #engineering #mathematics #oceanography #beach

Are you interested to know if there is another planet like Earth somewhere in the vastness of the universe? The cutting-edge research that my colleague Professor Derryck Reid performed resulted in a technological breakthrough which could help astronomers find the telltale signs of hidden planets. At Heriot-Watt University, our purpose-driven research empowers curiosity and delivers a real impact on the world. https://lnkd.in/gD5yMsVy

Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, an Indian-origin professor at the California of Technology and renowned astronomer, has been honoured with the Shaw Prize in astronomy for his revolutionary discoveries about millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other variable or transient astronomical objects. The Shaw Prize, awarded annually in three categories—Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences—carries a monetary award of USD 1.2 million. This year marks the 21st year of the Prize, and the ceremony will take place on November 12 in Hong Kong. Joining Kulkarni in this year's distinguished list of laureates are Swee Lay Thein and Stuart Orkin for Life Science and Medicine, and Peter Sarnak for Mathematical Sciences. Graphic: Niv/NH #Astronomy #ShawPrize #ShrinivasKulkarni #Caltech #ScientificAchievement #TimeDomainAstronomy #GammaRayBursts #Supernovae #TransientAstronomicalObjects #ScienceInnovation #RunRunShaw #CelebratingScience #Astrophysics #InspiringMinds #GlobalImpact