PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Astronomers discover Earth's bigger cousin

2015-07-24
(Press-News.org) Today an international team of astronomers from NASA's Kepler mission have announced the discovery of a near-Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.

Dr Daniel Huber from the University of Sydney's School of Physics is part of the team which made the discovery with NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.

The planet named Kepler-452b is 60 per cent larger than Earth and orbits a Sun-like star with an orbital period of 385 days.

The mere 20 day difference between the planet's orbital period and that of Earth's makes it the closest analogue to Earth ever discovered. It also places the planet within the habitable zone, defined as the range of distance from a star where liquid water could pool on the surface of an orbiting planet.

The research paper reporting the finding, led by Jon Jenkins from NASA's Ames Research Centre, has been accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal.

Co-author Dr Huber contributed to the characterisation of the host star which is crucial to understanding the properties of the planet.

"Kepler-452b has similar characteristics to our Sun, which makes finding a planet with an orbital period similar to Earth in this system very exciting," said Dr Huber.

"Kepler has previously demonstrated that Earth-sized planets are common, but most planets found in habitable zones are orbiting stars which are cooler than the Sun. Kepler-452b is in many ways the closest analogue to an Earth-like planet that we know of to date."

The newly discovered planet is located about 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Although the size of Kepler-452b is known, its mass and composition are not. Based on its radius the team estimates a better than even chance that the planet has a rocky composition.

"The system is too distant to determine whether it has an atmosphere, so we don't know whether it has the right conditions to harbour life," said Dr Huber.

"However, discoveries such as Kepler-452b provide important clues about how abundant Earth-like planets are in our galaxy, and about the prospects for finding such planets closer to home."

INFORMATION:

Dr Daniel Huber is available for interviews and can be contacted directly for comment.

Dr Daniel Huber
School of Physics, University of Sydney
P: + 612 8627 0610
M: +61 422 979 789
E: dhuber@physics.usyd.edu.au END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Wind energy provides 8 percent of Europe's electricity

Wind energy provides 8 percent of Europes electricity
2015-07-24
EU's grid connected cumulative capacity in 2014 reached 129 GW, meeting 8% of European electricity demand, equivalent to the combined annual consumption of Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland. According to a JRC report, the impressive growth of the industry will allow at least 12% electricity share by 2020, a significant contribution to the goal of the European energy and climate package of 20% share of energy from renewable sources. The 2014 JRC wind status report presents the technology, market and economics of the wind energy sector with a focus on the EU. ...

University of York scientists discover why some tumors are resistant to radiotherapy

2015-07-24
Scientists at the University of York believe they have identified how some tiny regulatory molecules in cells can make prostate cancers resistant to radiotherapy. It is hoped that this new development could pave the way for more effective treatments - allowing a lower dose of radiotherapy to be used while prolonging the lives of thousands of men. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of male cancer in the UK and kills more than 11,000 men every year. In the latest studies, published in European Urology and the British Journal of Cancer, scientists in The ...

Patient satisfaction is good indicator of success after spinal surgery

2015-07-24
July 24, 2015 - Patient satisfaction ratings after surgery for spinal degenerative disease--especially in terms of reduced pain and disability--are a good indicator of the procedure's effectiveness, reports a study in the August issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. "Patient satisfaction with outcome may accurately represent the effectiveness of surgical spine care in terms of one-year improvement in pain and disability," according to the new research by Dr. Clinton J. Devin of Vanderbilt ...

Young scientist discovers magnetic material unnecessary to create spin current

Young scientist discovers magnetic material unnecessary to create spin current
2015-07-24
It doesn't happen often that a young scientist makes a significant and unexpected discovery, but postdoctoral researcher Stephen Wu of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory just did exactly that. What he found--that you don't need a magnetic material to create spin current from insulators--has important implications for the field of spintronics and the development of high-speed, low-power electronics that use electron spin rather than charge to carry information. Wu's work upends prevailing ideas of how to generate a current of spins. "This is a ...

'Watch' helps surgeons minimize potential risks of all-inside meniscal repair

2015-07-24
Needham, MA.-JBJS Case Connector, an online case report journal published by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, has issued a "Watch" regarding potential risks with anchor-based all-inside meniscal repairs. While all-inside techniques have many advantages, including shorter surgical time and reduced risk of damage to neurovascular tissues, potential drawbacks include risks of local soft-tissue irritation and implant migration or breakage. In particular, the "Watch" offers important tips for successfully using FAST-FIX meniscal-repair devices produced by Smith & Nephew. ...

Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders not as important as outcomes

2015-07-24
Nailing the diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder may not be important in prescribing effective treatment, according to Mark Zimmerman, M.D., a clinical researcher at Rhode Island Hospital. His opinion editorial was published online today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. "During the past 35 years, we have witnessed a revolution in the treatment of psychiatric disorders," said Zimmerman, director of outpatient psychiatry and the partial hospital program at Rhode Island Hospital and director of the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services ...

Stadium lighting affects bat behavior and may threaten biodiversity

2015-07-24
A new Animal Conservation study shows that sports stadium lighting can alter patterns of bat species activity and feeding, which may in turn have cascading effects on other organisms and the ecosystem as a whole. Using a novel field experiment, Dr. M. Corrie Schoeman demonstrates that urban exploiter bats are more likely to hunt insects attracted to bright light pollution sources such as stadiums than urban avoider bats. (Exploiter organisms can take advantage of food or resources supplied by humans, while avoider organisms have either a history of conflict with humans ...

Study identifies risks related to falling in patients with COPD

2015-07-24
In a recent year-long study, 40% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experienced falls, with more than 75% of these falling multiple times. Factors linked with an increased risk of falling included smoking, having other illnesses, taking multiple medications, having a fear of falling, and falling in the past. "The findings could be useful for developing preventative strategies," said Dr. Cristino Oliveira, lead author of the Respirology study. INFORMATION: ...

Attention-control video game curbs combat vets' PTSD symptoms

2015-07-24
A computerized attention-control training program significantly reduced combat veterans' preoccupation with - or avoidance of -- threat and attendant PTSD symptoms. By contrast, another type of computerized training, called attention bias modification - which has proven helpful in treating anxiety disorders - did not reduce PTSD symptoms. NIMH and Israeli researchers conducted parallel trials in which the two treatments were tested in US and Israeli combat veterans. Daniel Pine, M.D., of the NIMH Emotion and Development Branch, Yair Bar-Haim, Ph.D., School of Psychological ...

Pesticides found in most pollen collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts

2015-07-24
Boston, MA -- More than 70% of pollen and honey samples collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts contain at least one neonicotinoid, a class of pesticide that has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which adult bees abandon their hives during winter, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study will be published online July 23, 2015 in the Journal of Environmental Chemistry. "Data from this study clearly demonstrated the ubiquity of neonicotinoids in pollen and honey samples that bees are exposed to during ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Astronomers discover Earth's bigger cousin