Astronomers have discovered a key ingredient for life at the edge of our Milky Way galaxy. A team from the University of Arizona detected the presence of phosphorus while studying molecular clouds on the outskirts of the galaxy using giant radio telescopes in the US and Spain. Phosphorus is one of the so-called NCHOPS elements that make up the critical ingredients for life on Earth – nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur. All of the others have already been found on the edge of the galaxy, so the discovery of phosphorus has direct implications for the search for Earth-like planets around distant stars. Their observations of the chemical 74,000 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way calls into question our fundamental understanding of the universe, the researchers said. “The phosphorus we detected is at the edge of the galaxy, where it shouldn’t be,” said Lilia Koelemay, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona who led the research. Theories that could explain its presence include supernova stars, which are typically not found on the edge of galaxies, and low mass stars generating excess neutrons that are then added onto silicon atoms to create phosphorus. “To make phosphorus, you need some kind of violent event,” said Lucy Ziurys, Regents Professor of chemistry and biochemistry and astronomy at Steward Observatory. “It is thought that phosphorus is created in supernova explosions, and for that, you need a star that has at least 20 times the mass of the Sun. In other words, if you’re going to have life, you better be near a supernova, if that’s indeed the only source where phosphorus is created.” The detection of phosphorus at the edge of the galaxy could motivate studies of distant exoplanets, the researchers hope, which have not been properly considered until now due to the assumed lack of the chemical. The research team now plans to examine other molecular clouds in the far reaches of the Milky Way to see if they contain phosphorus. Their discovery was described in a paper, titled ‘Phosphorus-bearing molecules PO and PN at the edge of the galaxy’, in the scientific journal Nature. Read More Astronomers find unprecedented ‘disc’ around distant planet Astronomers discover new six-planet system China unveils ‘foldable’ Mars helicopter in mission to return samples to Earth China unveils ‘foldable’ Mars helicopter in mission to return samples to Earth New images of Mars released by Nasa’s Odyssey orbiter Scientists find planets moving around in strange ‘rhythm’

China-linked hackers breached the corporate account of a Microsoft Corp. engineer and are suspected of using that access

The US Supreme Court ruled on Epic Games appeal to pause an injunction that was granted to Apple by a lower court, following Epic's initial legal victory in its dispute over Apple store practices.

Phil Spencer said Microsoft buying Nintendo would be "a good move for both companies".

Santos Ltd., Australia’s second-biggest gas producer, says it can slash the cost of sucking carbon dioxide directly out

Twitter is refusing to stand by a $1 billion contract with Google to use its cloud hosting services, according to reports. Elon Musk’s company is in the process of moving away from Google Cloud before the contract expires on 30 June, Platformer reported, leaving the social media firm’s trust and safety teams in peril. The move appears to be part of radical cost-cutting measures that have been underway since Mr Musk’s takeover of Twitter in October 2022, which has already seen thousands of employees laid off and a reduction in infrastructure spending. The deal with Google Cloud relates to hosting services, which include protecting accounts and fighting spam on Twitter. The effort to move to a different platform is reportedly “running behind schedule”, which could potentially impact Twitter’s ability to detect and remove spam and child sexual abuse material. Twitter did not respond to a request for comment – the company’s PR team was effectively eliminated during the lay-offs – while Google is also yet to respond. A separate report from The Information last month claimed that Twitter also delayed payments to Amazon Web Services. The latest issues come after internal documents revealed that Twitter’s advertising revenue is down by more than half since Mr Musk’s takeover. The company’s main revenue stream was initially hit by advertisers withdrawing over concerns related to the direction of the platform and its leadership, though Mr Musk claimed in April that “almost all advertisers have come back or said they are going to come back”. Twitter’s valuation since Mr Musk bought the company for $44 billion has dropped to around $15 billion, according to estimates from investment firm Fidelity. Newly-appointed Twitter chief executive Linda Yaccarino, who took over from Mr Musk last week, has been tasked with improving relationships with advertisers, while Mr Musk focuses on “overseeing product, software and sysops as the firm’s chief technology officer. Read More Twitter ad sales down by more than half since Elon Musk takeover, report claims

IShowSpeed's Instagram post has garnered an astonishing 13 million likes, surpassing Lionel Messi's World Cup post

Game engine Unity has announced it will begin charging developers a fee every time a

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users have reported that the platforms have suffered outages. Thousands of users reported issues at around 11.45am PST, according to DownDetector, which monitors tech outages. Users in Indiana, Washington state, Florida, Nebraska and New York all stated on DownDetector that their service had been impacted. More than 12,000 users reported having trouble accessing Facebook, while over 6,600 users were having trouble with Instagram. WhatsApp also had more than 1,300 outage reports. Meta, which owns all three platforms, addressed the issue in a statement to The Independent. “We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” the company stated. Read More Meta scrambles to fix Instagram algorithm connecting ‘vast paedophile network’ Google revenue from anti-abortion campaigns and ‘fake’ clinics ‘topped $10m’ Police warn about dangerous emergency setting on Android phones

The Biden administration is marshaling the power of the Energy Department to find low-carbon alternatives to petroleum-based transportation

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 8, 2023--

Meta rolled out Threads on Wednesday, July 5 in more than 100 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia