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

Fear no supernova

Fear no supernova
2011-12-19
(Press-News.org) Given the incredible amounts of energy in a supernova explosion – as much as the sun creates during its entire lifetime – another erroneous doomsday theory is that such an explosion could happen in 2012 and harm life on Earth. However, given the vastness of space and the long times between supernovae, astronomers can say with certainty that there is no threatening star close enough to hurt Earth.

Astronomers estimate that, on average, about one or two supernovae explode each century in our galaxy. But for Earth's ozone layer to experience damage from a supernova, the blast must occur less than 50 light-years away. All of the nearby stars capable of going supernova are much farther than this.

Any planet with life on it near a star that goes supernova would indeed experience problems. X- and gamma-ray radiation from the supernova could damage the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet light in the sun's rays. The less ozone there is, the more UV light reaches the surface. At some wavelengths, just a 10 percent increase in ground-level UV can be lethal to some organisms, including phytoplankton near the ocean surface. Because these organisms form the basis of oxygen production on Earth and the marine food chain, any significant disruption to them could cascade into a planet-wide problem.

Another explosive event, called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), is often associated with supernovae. When a massive star collapses on itself -- or, less frequently, when two compact neutron stars collide -- the result is the birth of a black hole. As matter falls toward a nascent black hole, some of it becomes accelerated into a particle jet so powerful that it can drill its way completely through the star before the star's outermost layers even have begun to collapse. If one of the jets happens to be directed toward Earth, orbiting satellites detect a burst of highly energetic gamma rays somewhere in the sky. These bursts occur almost daily and are so powerful that they can be seen across billions of light-years.

A gamma-ray burst could affect Earth in much the same way as a supernova -- and at much greater distance -- but only if its jet is directly pointed our way. Astronomers estimate that a gamma-ray burst could affect Earth from up to 10,000 light-years away with each separated by about 15 million years, on average. So far, the closest burst on record, known as GRB 031203, was 1.3 billion light-years away.

As with impacts, our planet likely has already experienced such events over its long history, but there's no reason to expect a gamma-ray burst in our galaxy to occur in the near future, much less in December 2012.



INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Fear no supernova

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

VanMarter Project Joins Empty Vessel Music To Give Back

2011-12-19
VanMarter Project announces their partnership with Empty Vessel Music. EV is a 501(c)3 For Impact music company providing at risk and underserved children in inner cities with free music education, appreciation and intervention through a program called The Music Matters Project. "We are thankful that VanMarter Project is making a real impact with their music and is supported by their label, Hydrus Media" comments Gerry Van Mansfeld, EV's Executive Director. The concept behind The Music Matters Project and its mentor-centric program addresses some of the major ...

NASA sees Tropical Storm Washi's rainfall intensify over larger area

NASA sees Tropical Storm Washis rainfall intensify over larger area
2011-12-19
NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that as Tropical Storm Washi approached the Philippines' island of Mindanao heavy rainfall had become more widespread than the previous day. NASA's Terra satellite captured Washi making landfall early today. Early on Dec. 15 when NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Tropical Storm Washi, (known as Sendong in the Philippines) there was one area to the southwest of the center that had heavy rainfall. When TRMM passed over Washi later on Dec. 15 at 1515 UTC (10:15 a.m. EST), heavy rainfall was more widespread ...

New Ryanair Base for Palma de Mallorca in 2012

2011-12-19
With passenger stats for 2011 (22,063,288) already outstripping those of 2010 (21,117,270), Palma de Mallorca has received more good news courtesy of Ryanair. The no-frills carrier is to set up a new base at the Balearic Airport in March 2012 and will operate a total of 47 routes - 17 of them new. Stephen Dight, Managing Director of high-end real estate agency Mallorca Sotheby's International Realty, is enthusiastic about the news, "Many different nationalities participate in Mallorca's property market and as such we've been well served by dozens of airlines to ...

Childhood cancer drugs cure now, may cause problems later, UB research shows

2011-12-19
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Will a drug used to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and other pediatric cancers cause heart problems later in life? UB associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, Javier G. Blanco, PhD, who sees his work as a bridge between research and clinical practice, has focused recent efforts on trying to answer this question. Blanco and colleagues' recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology looked for the underlying genetic answers to why some childhood cancer survivors who were treated with anthracylines -- powerful antibiotics like ...

"Support Rambam Hospital" Program is The Next Step in XIM's Charity Plan.

2011-12-19
To relieve patients and former patients of the Rambam Hospital who are sick, convalescent, disabled, handicapped or in need of financial assistance and generally to support the charitable works of the said hospital is the main object of Xtra Information Management Inc and Rambam Hospital cooperation in the charity program. Rambam Hospital serves as a referral medical center and Level-1 trauma center, employing a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. XIM's employees voted to establish a "Support Rambam Hospital" program committing their time ...

UCLA physicists report nanotechnology feat with proteins

2011-12-19
The new measurements, by UCLA physics professor Giovanni Zocchi and former UCLA physics graduate student Yong Wang, are approximately 100 times higher in resolution than previous mechanical measurements, a nanotechnology feat which reveals an isolated protein molecule, surprisingly, is neither a solid nor a liquid. "Proteins are the molecular machines of life, the molecules we are made of," Zocchi said. "We have found that sometimes they behave as a solid and sometimes as a liquid. "Solids have a shape while liquids flow — for simple materials at low stresses. However, ...

Regulatory enzyme overexpression may protect against neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease

2011-12-19
Treatment that increases brain levels of an important regulatory enzyme may slow the loss of brain cells that characterizes Huntington's disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. In a report receiving advance online publication in Nature Medicine, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research team reports that increased expression of Sirt1, one of a family of enzymes called sirtuins, in the brain of a mouse model of HD protected against neurodegeneration. They also identified a potential mechanism for this protective effect. "Diseases such as Huntington's, ...

Dakota Dental Clinic Suggests Preventative Strategies To Protect Teeth During The Holidays

2011-12-19
Dakota Dental Apple Valley Dentistry is wishing the community a happy holiday season while reminding individuals of simple strategies to prevent dental damage from holiday celebrations that could linger throughout the new year. "Whether it's the platter of holiday cookies and fudge, or the alcoholic beverages served at social gatherings, the holiday season can place an extra strain on dental and oral health." says, Apple Valley dentist, Dr. Shelley Wakefield. "Fortunately, with some understanding and a few preventative strategies, people can enjoy holiday ...

Immunological defense mechanism leaves malaria patients vulnerable to deadly infection

2011-12-19
The link between malaria and salmonella infections has been explained for the first time, opening the way to more effective treatments. Malaria patients are at high risk of developing fatal bacterial infections, especially salmonella infections. This is commonly believed to be due to generalised immunosuppression by malaria, whereby the entire immune system is weakened and compromised. However, researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have discovered that the increased vulnerability to salmonella infections is a side effect of the body's attempts ...

Upper atmosphere facilitates changes that let mercury enter food chain

2011-12-19
Humans pump thousands of tons of vapor from the metallic element mercury into the atmosphere each year, and it can remain suspended for long periods before being changed into a form that is easily removed from the atmosphere. New research shows that the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere work to transform elemental mercury into oxidized mercury, which can easily be deposited into aquatic ecosystems and ultimately enter the food chain. "The upper atmosphere is acting as a chemical reactor to make the mercury more able to be deposited to ecosystems," said Seth ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Drug combo cuts risk of death in advanced prostate cancer by 40%

ADC improves outcomes for patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer who are ineligible for immune checkpoint inhibitors

Novel treatment combination improves progression-free survival in metastatic, estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative breast cancer

ESMO 2025: Trial results show belzutifan shrinks rare neuroendocrine tumors and improves symptoms in patients

ESMO 2025: Dual targeted therapy shows promise in previously treated advanced kidney cancer patients

New generation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) shows unprecedented promise in early-stage disease

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet for October 2025

Three science and technology leaders elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

McGill research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

A lightweight and rapid bidirectional search algorithm

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

MIT invents human brain model with six major cell types to enable personalized disease research, drug discovery

Health and economic air quality co-benefits of stringent climate policies

How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo

How the brain becomes a better listener: How focus enhances sound processing

Processed fats found in margarines unlikely to affect heart health

Scientists discover how leukemia cells evade treatment

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Treating liver disease with microscopic nanoparticles

Chemicals might be hitching a ride on nanoplastics to enter your skin

Pregnant patients with preexisting high cholesterol may have elevated CV risk

UC stroke experts discuss current and future use of AI tools in research and treatment

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

Most users cannot identify AI bias, even in training data

Hurricane outages: Analysis details the where, and who, of increased future power cuts

Craters on surface of melanoma cells found to serve as sites for tumor killing

[Press-News.org] Fear no supernova