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JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CAPTURES ANOTHER RINGED PLANET

  From - Sky & Telescope, By - Monica Young, Edited by - Amal Udawatta,    This annotated, zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on 6 February 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings, as well as clouds and the polar cap. NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / J. DePasquale (STScI) Webb has returned an image of ringed Uranus, currently experiencing the dog days of northern hemisphere summer The James Webb Space Telescope is continuing its portfolio of the outer solar system, this time returning an image of ringed Uranus. The tipped-over ice giant is currently facing its northern pole straight toward the Sun. Imaged previously by Voyager 2 (from a distance of only 50,640 miles, or 81,500 km) and by the adaptive-optics system on the Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, the planet revealed new details to Webb's sensitive instruments over an exposure time of just 12 minutes. The image shown here is taken at two infrared wavelengths centered on ...

Chocolate tube slime mold

  From - Jungle Drajon Edited by - Amal Udawatta, Sporocarps tufted, 10-15(-25) mm total height. Sporothecae dark brown with a reddish tinge. Hypothallus silvery, shining, confluent. Stalk 1-4 mm long, shining black. Columella black, almost reaching the sporotheca apex, tapered and flexuous towards the tip. Capillitium brown and with a metallic glint, the primary branches expanded at the junctions within the net and arising at right angles to the columella, hardly branched thus only weakly supporting the surface net which usually collapses onto the columella soon after spore-dispersal, the surface net with large, rounded meshes, 20-50(-100) µm diam. Spore-mass dark reddish-brown. Spores lilac-brown, 7-9 µm diam., almost smooth with fine, pale warts. Plasmodium white or pale yellow. Distribution Widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions; Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America; Antigua, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C...

Million-year-old viruses help fight cancer, say scientists

  By James Gallagher Health and science correspondent, BBC, Edited by- Amal Udawatta, , IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Relics of ancient viruses - that have spent millions of years hiding inside human DNA - help the body fight cancer, say scientists. The study by the Francis Crick Institute showed the dormant remnants of these old viruses are woken up when cancerous cells spiral out of control. This unintentionally helps the immune system target and attack the tumour. The team wants to harness the discovery to design vaccines that can boost cancer treatment, or even prevent it. The researchers had noticed a connection between better survival from lung cancer and a part of the immune system, called B-cells, clustering around tumours. IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, B-cells, a part of the immune system, produce masses of antibodies that can help to attack invaders B-cells are the part of our body that manufactures antibodies and are better known for their role in fighting off i...

Gel nails: Investigation launched into gel polish allergic reactions

  By Niki Cardwell & Jasmine Andersson BBC News, Eddited by- Amal Udawatta, IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES The government is investigating reports that growing numbers of people are developing life-changing allergies to some gel nail products. Dermatologists say they are treating people for allergic reactions to acrylic and gel nails "most weeks". Dr Deirdre Buckley of the British Association of Dermatologists urged people to cut down on gel nail use and stick to "old-fashioned" polishes. She is now urging people to stop using DIY home kits to treat their nails. Some people have reported nails loosening or falling off, skin rashes or, in rarer cases, breathing difficulties, she said. On Friday, the government's  Office for Product Safety and Standards  confirmed it was investigating and said the first point of contact for anyone developing an allergy after using a polish is their local trading standards department. In a statement it said: "All cosmetics mad...