Dogs of Chernobyl studied to learn about survival in hostile environments - Hindustan Times
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This photo provided by Timothy Mousseau in Feb. 2023 shows a dog in the Chernobyl area of Ukraine.

Scientists study dogs of Chernobyl to learn about survival in hostile environments

More than 35 years after the world's worst nuclear accident, the dogs of Chernobyl roam among decaying, abandoned buildings in and around the closed plant – somehow still able to find food, breed and survive. Scientists hope that studying these dogs can teach humans new tricks about how to live in the harshest, most degraded environments, too. Chernobyl's environment is singularly brutal. Some of the dogs live in the power plant, a dystopian, industrial setting.

Some of the deadliest diseases to stalk humankind have come from pathogens that jumped from animals to people. The virus that causes AIDS, for example, crossed over from chimpanzees. And many experts believe the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic flowed from bats.

Humans give more viruses to animals than they give us, study finds

A new study shows that humans give more viruses to animals than animals give to humans. The analysis of viral genome sequences revealed that 64% of human-to-animal transmissions and 36% were animal-to-human. This highlights the impact humans have on the environment and animals. Zoonotic diseases, like COVID-19, can have devastating effects when pathogens jump from animals to humans.

Ice melting at both of Earth’s poles has been counteracting the planet's burst of speed

A faster spinning Earth may cause timekeepers to subtract a second from clocks

Earth's rotation is speeding up, possibly leading to a negative leap second by 2029. The Earth's core and melting ice at the poles are factors. This could disrupt global timekeeping systems, which have been using leap seconds to adjust the difference between astronomical and atomic time. Technology companies are developing their own solutions to this issue.

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US Moon lander 'permanently' asleep after historic landing: company

An American private lander named Odysseus failed to "wake up" on the Moon, ending its mission after landing at a wonky angle. Despite completing tests and sending back photos, the lander did not respond when sunlight was expected to power its radio. NASA and Intuitive Machines consider the mission a success, with plans for more lunar missions and eventual human exploration.

Astronomers have identified two ancient streams of stars - named after the Hindu deities Shakti and Shiva - that appear to be among the Milky Way's earliest building blocks, offering new insight into how our galaxy came together long ago. (Representational picture)

Scientists identify Milky Way's ancient building blocks Shakti and Shiva

Astronomers have discovered two ancient streams of stars, named Shakti and Shiva, that are among the Milky Way's early building blocks. These structures may be remnants of galaxies that merged with the Milky Way 12 billion years ago. Identified using the Gaia space telescope, Shakti and Shiva offer insight into the galaxy's formation. The stars in these structures, located near the galactic center, are "metal poor" and formed 12-13 billion years ago.

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Scientists identify earliest building blocks of Milky Way galaxy, name them Shakti, Shiva

Researchers have identified the earliest building blocks of the Milky Way galaxy from 12-13 billion years ago, close to when the first galaxies formed. Named 'Shakti' and 'Shiva', these star groups have low metal content and high angular momentum, suggesting they are among the galaxy's oldest ancestors. Data from the Gaia satellite and Sloan Digital Sky Survey aided the study.

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