A new instrument called NEID (pronounced “NOO-id”; sounds like “fluid”) will help scientists measure the masses of planets outside our solar system — exoplanets — by observing the gravitational pull they exert on their parent stars. That information can help reveal a planet’s composition, one critical aspect in determining its potential habitability. It was funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). NEID recently made its first observations on the WIYN 3....

Toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, infects about 22.5% of Americans, aged 12 and older. Researchers tested participants for T. gondii and had them complete a personality questionnaire. Both men and women infected with T. gondii were more extroverted and less conscientious than non-infected participants. The changes are thought to come from the parasite’s influence on brain chemicals. The scientists published their findings in the European Journal of Personality....

Most leading security standards used in secure communication methods — from withdrawing cash from the ATM to purchasing goods online on the smartphone — do not leverage quantum technology. The electronic transmission of the personal identification number (PIN) or password can be intercepted, posing a security risk. Roughly 3mm in size, the tiny chip developed by NTU scientists uses quantum communication algorithms to provide enhanced security compared to existing standards....

Despite how different they may seem, black holes and Las Vegas have one thing in common: What happens there stays there – much to the frustration of astrophysicists trying to understand how, when, and why black holes form and grow. Black holes are surrounded by the event horizon, a mysterious, invisible layer from which nothing can escape, be it matter, light, or information. This means that the event horizon swallows every bit of evidence about the black hole’s past....

Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Racial and ethnic minorities were more hesitant or unwilling to receive a COVID-19 vaccine compared to whites. But inequitable distribution of the vaccine in the U.S. also contributed to lower levels of vaccine uptake by minorities. People from racial and ethnic minorities in the United States and the United Kingdom were up to three times as likely to report being unsure or unwilling to get a COVID-19 vaccine during the initial vaccine rollout compared to white participants, found a study published in Nature Communications....

Called the Khesen Formation, the site is one of the most significant for early Earth fossils since the discovery of the Doushantuo Formation in southern China nearly 20 years ago. The Dousantuo Formation is 600 million years old; the Khesen Formation is younger, at about 540 million years old. “Understanding how and when animals evolved has proved very difficult for paleontologists. The discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved fossil assemblage with animal embryo-like fossils gives us a new window onto a critical transition in life’s history,” said Yale graduate student Ross Anderson, first author of a study in the journal Geology....

The number of asteroid impacts to the Moon and Earth increased by two to three times starting around 290 million years ago, researchers reported in a paper in the journal Science. They could tell by creating the first comprehensive timeline of large craters on the Moon formed in the last billion years by using images and thermal data collected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). When the scientists compared those to the timeline of Earth’s craters, they found the two bodies had recorded the same history of asteroid bombardment—one that contradicts theories about Earth’s impact rate....

It’s common knowledge that taking deep breaths can help calm us down in stressful situations. But now, Professor Micah Allen from the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University has made significant strides in understanding the relationship between breathing and the brain. By synthesizing results from numerous studies on the brain imaging of rodents, monkeys, and humans, Allen and his team developed a computational model that explains how our breathing patterns can shape the expectations of the brain....

The Yale University astronomers had just put the finishing touches on a new study suggesting that these strange, icy visitors from other planets are going to keep right on coming. We can expect a few large objects showing up every year, they say; smaller objects entering the solar system could reach into the hundreds each year. The study has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. “There should be a lot of this material floating around,” said Rice, a graduate student at Yale and the first author of the study....

“Fetal alcohol syndrome is a worldwide problem in countries where alcohol is freely available,” said Gregor Kasprian, M.D., associate professor of radiology at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. “It’s estimated that 9.8% of all pregnant women are consuming alcohol during pregnancy, and that number is likely underestimated.” Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe form of a group of conditions called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders that result from alcohol exposure during pregnancy....

Researchers using MRI have found significant abnormalities in the eyes of some people with severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the journal Radiology. The study results support the need for eye screening in these patients to provide appropriate treatment and management of potentially severe ophthalmological manifestations of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 100 million people since it began early in 2020. While the virus primarily attacks the lungs, it has been linked with eye abnormalities like conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, and retinopathy, a disease of the retina that can result in a loss of vision....

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against Omicron infections than other variants. A study published on December 1st in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Margaret L. Lind at the Yale School of Public Health, U.S. and colleagues suggests that the additional protection offered by the initial booster shot may be reduced among people with a previous COVID-19 infection. Evidence indicates that primary (two-dose) and original booster mRNA (third dose) vaccination significantly reduces the risk of Omicron-related infection and severe outcomes in the general population....

A new image from ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the spectacular globular star cluster Messier 4. This ball of tens of thousands of ancient stars is one of the closest and most studied of the globular clusters and recent work has revealed that one of its stars has strange and unexpected properties, apparently possessing the secret of eternal youth. The Milky Way galaxy is orbited by more than 150 globular star clusters that date back to the distant past of the Universe....

UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the first step toward developing new methods of drug delivery or even designing artificial vaccines. “This is the first decisive demonstration of an approach that can be used to combine protein molecules together to create a whole array of nanoscale materials,” said Todd Yeates, a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of the UCLA–DOE Institute of Genomics and Proteomics and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA....

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) report that they have refined a method they previously developed for capturing and analyzing cancer cells that break away from patients’ tumors and circulate in the blood. With the improvements to their device, which uses a Velcro-like nanoscale technology, they can now detect and isolate single cancer cells from patient blood samples for analysis. Circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, spreading from tumors to other parts of the body, where they form new tumors....

The process dates back to February 2020, when NASA announced that four missions were to undergo a nine-month peer-review process for feasibility. They were all part of the Discovery program, started by NASA in 1992 to bring together scientists and engineers to create exciting, groundbreaking missions. Set aside from the flagship missions – such as Curiosity and Perseverance – the missions operating under Discovery have taken unique and innovative approaches to exploring the solar system....

“Being able to contribute in any way to the efforts of the team within NASA that released this new Deep Field just felt like such a profound thing for me,” said Ferreira, a student at Arizona State University who interned with NASA this summer. “I was just a little bit in shock for, like, a week.” Webb, the largest space science telescope ever, which launched in December 2021, played a big role in Ferreira’s internship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland....

The Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency’s Mars 2020 rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. “NASA has a proud history of firsts,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars....

Suffice to say that when the scientists and engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, compete in a pumpkin-carving contest, the solar system’s the limit. Now in its ninth year, the contest gives teams only one hour to carve (off the clock, on their lunch break), though they can prepare non-pumpkin materials — like backgrounds, sound effects, and motorized parts — ahead of time. “It’s totally different from our normal engineering work, which makes it a nice change of pace....

Concept animation showing the crew operations on NASA’s proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission. Credit: NASA NASA released new photos and video animations depicting the agency’s planned mission to find, capture, redirect, and study a near-Earth asteroid. The images depict crew operations including the Orion spacecraft’s trip to and rendezvous with the relocated asteroid, as well as astronauts maneuvering through a spacewalk to collect samples from the asteroid. Part of the President’s FY 2014 budget request for NASA, the asteroid initiative capitalizes on activities across the agency’s human exploration, space technology and science efforts....