Scientists can't figure out mysterious signal from deep space

Scientists have detected a mysterious, regular signal, named ASKAP J1832-0911, flashing from 15,000 light years away in space, emitting radio waves and X-rays every 44 minutes.
The object was discovered using an Australian telescope and NASA 's Chandra X-ray Observatory, marking the first time an LPT (long-period transient) has been observed emitting both X-rays and radio signals.
Researchers note that the X-ray and radio wave emissions from ASKAP J1832-0911 have decreased over time, an unprecedented phenomenon in the Milky Way galaxy.
The nature of the object remains unknown, with theories suggesting it could be a magnetar or a binary star system involving a highly magnetised white dwarf, but these theories do not fully explain the observed behaviour.
Scientists aim to continue studying ASKAP J1832-0911 and search for similar objects, hoping the X-ray emissions will provide insights into the origin and mechanism of the signals, potentially indicating new physics or stellar evolution models.

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The Guardian

4 hours ago

• The Guardian

Gardening in a climate crisis: how to be a green thumb when old rules no longer apply

The sun shone on Melbourne's gardens in May – and kept shining. Warm-weather plants that had begun to die back in expectation of winter got a second wind. Basil started sprouting leaves again and roses shot new buds. The state's second-warmest May on record also confounded cold-weather plants starting to make their way out of the ground. Was it time to bloom or sink back underground? Meanwhile, in the state's south-west, dry earth became even drier, and raised the risk of unseasonal fire. At the same time, in coastal parts of New South Wales and Queensland, it didn't just rain but it poured. So as the seasons become more erratic and the climate crisis results in observable changes to our gardens, how should green thumbs respond? How do we know what is going to grow well – and how can we plan for our future gardens when it feels like the old rules no longer apply? There isn't 'a clean, crisp answer' to this question, says Prof Angela Moles, a biologist who heads up the Big Ecology Lab at the University of New South Wales. The lab's mission is to find out how Australian plants are responding to the climate crisis and quantify the factors influencing those changes. 'Different parts of Australia are changing in different ways. Often the dry parts are getting drier and the wet parts are getting wetter, and different species are responding to things very differently,' Moles says. Primarily, they're responding by shifting their distribution. Often that happens in counterintuitive ways, with more than a third of plants moving 'backwards', such as towards the warmer areas where they might be thought to prefer cooler ones. 'We're seeing a lot of reassembly starting to happen, and the speeds at which species are shifting are quite frightening,' Moles says. Globally, plants are altering their range at a rate of about 800 metres per year, mirroring what we know about plant behaviour from the previous ice age. 'Everything's in this wild state of flux.' Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter Around Australia, plants are also changing the way they grow, such as when they flower, when their leaves come out, when they germinate or come up from the ground. That poses particular challenges for horticulture and conservation. 'There are cases where species start flowering earlier, but their pollinators [such as insects and birds] aren't around yet, or their pollinators are coming out even earlier. Pollinators are changing more quickly than the flowers, and that's causing some mismatches,' Moles says. Some of them, too, are going extinct. All this underscores the need to alter gardening and landscaping choices to take into account changing plant behaviour in response to the climate, but it also makes planning for that unpredictable behaviour very difficult. Clare Hart, the director of horticulture at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, says her team has been working on precisely this problem since 2016, assessing species for climate risk and developing a succession strategy for the gardens' future. 'We're working towards [a projected climate of] 3C warmer, and also [we're] going to have less rainfall … So the plants that we need to grow are from warmer, drier climates,' Hart says. 'We focus on adaptation because mitigation just isn't happening fast enough. And anything we do in an adaptation space will also assist with any mitigation when it does happen – and it needs to happen.' In 2018, the gardens held an international climate change summit, out of which sprung the international Climate Change Alliance of Botanic Gardens. One practical tool developed by that alliance to help with planning, especially for trees, was the climate assessment tool. Available to the public, the tool models the likely suitability of different tree species for a specified location against projected climate scenarios. A new feature of the gardens, the Australian Drylands is 'essentially a great experiment' to assess which native plants might grow well in a warmer, drier Melbourne. Horticulturalists looked north, from the top of NSW across to Western Australia, and collaborated with traditional owners, parks workers and other botanical gardens to understand which plants might suit the coming new normal further south. Hart names kangaroo grass, flame trees, spear lilies, gymea lilies and cycads as just some of the more well-known varieties already showing their versatility and resilience. Look local: what's thriving around you? Moles and Hart recommend walking around your neighbourhood and taking note of the plants that are flourishing, especially if they're native, and where in the garden they are placed. Planting out your nature strip can be a great way to help local ecosystems become more climate resilient, says Moles, as it helps mitigate urban heat pockets, provides habitat and assists in migration routes for plants, birds, animals and insects. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion Consider your microclimate Regardless of where in Australia you live, it helps to learn a bit more about the specific needs of plants, and what you are currently providing them with. 'Understand your soil conditions, understand water, where it comes from, and if you have the opportunity to put in a water tank – things like that really will help you to future proof,' says Hart. Recognise also that 'your microclimate can change quite dramatically, even from neighbour to neighbour,' Hart says. If your garden space is a balcony with a lot of afternoon sun, that may be better suited to growing plants more commonly found hundreds of kilometres further north than those thriving in next door's shady back yard. Consult local experts Hart recommends smaller, local nurseries and Indigenous plant nurseries as good sources of knowledge about plants that will do well in local conditions. Local councils will also often have local plant lists and resources for home gardeners who want to build local habitat. Connecting with community groups can be a useful way to learn about what's doing well in nearby bushland areas. Give plants extra protection when they're young Plants are most vulnerable during their early establishment phase, so try planting them in a context that allows you to give them a bit more care and attention while they're starting out, says Moles. 'Once they're established, they'll be a little bit more robust.' Use free tools and resources The Climate Change Alliance of Botanic Gardens' climate assessment tool can help you find out if the tree you want to plant is likely to thrive or struggle under future climate conditions. Which Plant Where has a database searchable by location and plant type, and allows you to filter results for different types of gardens and plant needs for estimates of climatic suitability in 2030, 2050 and 2070. The Atlas of Living Australia pulls together Australian biodiversity data from multiple sources. Explore your local area and find out to show what plants are growing around you (and which animals have been seen locally, too). The Bureau of Meteorology provides general forecasts for rainfall and temperature up to four months in advance, giving you a rough idea of what conditions are likely for the season ahead. School of Thumb is a horticulture industry-funded video series aimed at less-experienced gardeners, to help them think about their circumstances and the plants that might suit.

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

King Charles pays tribute to 'resilience' of antarctic research scientists

The king has recorded a personal message for Antarctic researchers as the southern hemisphere marks the shortest day of the year. While the UK enjoys its longest day of sunlight on Saturday, British scientists at the South Pole experience 24 hours of darkness. In a morale-raising message recorded for the BBC World Service's midwinter broadcast, Charles praised the researchers' 'critically important' work as well as their 'resilience and commitment' to their jobs. 'With the sun shying away from your horizon today, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes to all of those serving at British Antarctic research stations this midwinter's say and, above all, to express the greatest admiration for the critically important work you do.' He then went onto talk a little about the researchers' work. The king continued: 'The scientific research that the British Antarctic Survey undertakes, alongside teams from across the world, is today more vital than ever, telling us stories of the past, the present and possible futures. 'Each observation, measurement and calculation you undertake adds to the world's understanding of the Earth's fragile systems and the role humanity plays, as we struggle to live in harmony with nature. 'I very much appreciate the resilience and commitment to duty you all demonstrate so effectively, and which embody the pioneering spirit that has characterised British polar exploration for generations. 'On the 70th anniversary of this midwinter broadcast, I send countless special thoughts for your celebrations today.' It comes a month after the King, a longtime environmental advocate, urged people to help save the planet during a charity fundraiser. He told the crowd: 'Collaboration is far better than conflict.' The monarch said the charity's work comes at a time when efforts are under way to 'develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict'. Charles said: 'If we're going to rescue this poor planet (from) continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature. 'We need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us.' The BBC World Service's midwinter broadcast is part of a day of celebrations for personnel at British Antarctic Survey stations. These personnel are based at at Rothera, Bird Island, and South Georgia, and they join colleagues at other international bases across the continent to mark the day. Alongside the King's message, the programme consists of music requests and messages from home to those at BAS research stations. They traditionally feast, exchange presents, and watch the classic 1982 horror film The Thing, set in the Antarctic. This year midwinter coincides with sweltering weather back on British soil. This means the UK is preparing for thunderstorms which are set to mix with continued high temperatures on Saturday. These temperatures could reach all the way up to 34C in some areas. A yellow thunderstorm weather warning covering all of northern England, from Nottingham up to above Newcastle, will come into force from 3pm and last until 4am on Sunday. The Met Office warned the most intense storms could produce 'frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds', along with a chance of flooding. Parts of eastern England could also see temperatures peak high enough to eclipse the 32.2C seen on Thursday and become the hottest day of the year so far.

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

The surprising jobs with the fastest growing salaries - as economist reveals the AI truth all workers need to know

White-collar jobs most at risk of being replaced by AI have surprisingly experienced the fastest double-digit growth in salaries. Service jobs, rather than occupations requiring manual labour, made up nine of the top 10 roles that have had the biggest annual increase in advertised pay levels. SEEK senior economist Blair Chapman told Daily Mail Australia said AI was in fact creating more demand for professional roles provided the technology makes workers more efficient during a productivity crisis. 'What a lot of people have been missing in the AI conversation is that AI is there to make people more productive so, yes, it can do a lot of the tasks but that means a person using AI is able to produce more and do more,' he said. 'They're actually more productive so they're actually more valuable to the company. 'There are, in most roles, going to need to be some human intervention still.' Tax accountants saw average advertised pay surge 24.5 per cent to $95,375 based on positions on SEEK in April. Seek senior economist Blair Chapman told Daily Mail Australia said AI was creating more demand for white collar roles provided the technology could make professionals more efficient during a productivity crisis 'The one tax consultant can now do multiple client returns, as an example, in a day rather than maybe one or two,' Mr Chapman said. Analyst roles in the Department of Defence and the federal public services have seen a 26.8 per cent surge in advertised pay to $130,117. Geopolitical uncertainty has meant AI could in fact help intelligence analysts sift through a lot more data. 'You think about an intelligence analyst trying to analyse thousands of web pages - now AI can do that and flag the most pertinent ones for humans to assess,' he said. Meanwhile, high immigration levels are fuelling demand for housing but local licensing requirements means Australian citizens are more likely to get construction jobs. 'There are barriers to entry for foreign labour market participants to actually come in and add to supply in those roles,' Mr Chapman said. The requirement for local construction and trade licences saw a 16.6 per cent increase in advertised salaries to $90,695 for finishers on building projects. Australia's transition to renewable energy is also creating demand for electrical engineers in the energy space with their salaries soaring by 18.3 per cent to an average of $165,917. 'We've got the renewable energy push which is leading to a lot of demand for electrical engineers,' Mr Chapman said. At the lower end of the pay scale, shop assistants saw their pay levels rise by 16.2 per cent to $64,027. Hospitality job ads saw a 15.6 per cent increase to $70,762 for assistant roles. This was occurring as demand for cafe and restaurant meals continued to increase, even more than three years after Covid lockdowns ended. 'During Covid, people weren't going out as much as they were now there's been a bit of a resurgence in hospitality, especially as there has been a substitution in say international travel to domestic travel and that has encouraged and created more demand for hospitality,' Mr Chapman said. But in some sectors, advertised pay levels have been growing well below the overall wage price index of 3.4 per cent, despite unemployment still being low at 4.1 per cent. Manufacturing jobs saw an increase of just 2.6 per cent with Australia now focused on smaller-scale assembly. 'Heavy and medium industrial manufacturing: we stopped doing a lot of that,' Mr Chapman said. 'A lot of manufacturing now is local needs - it's been a big compositional change in manufacturing in Australia.' Technology, however, is still a threat to some sectors more than others with advertising, arts and media jobs seeing a 0.1 per cent annual decline in advertised salaries, with the likes of Google and Facebook continuing to take advertising revenue away from traditional media.