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We've gathered a few interesting developments for you to peruse today!
It's already pretty incredible that we are able to visualize the matter of our brains through the use of imaging technology, and this new breakthrough expands the potential of imaging technology by a magnitude of sixty-four million times. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the first MRI, researchers from Duke University recently produced immensely high-resolution images of a mouse brain. Though scans like these are not yet intended for use in humans, they offer immense promise for digging deeper into neurological conditions and neural pathways through model animals like mice. Check out the article above to learn more and have a look at these new, high-resolution scans!
Black holes have been a bit of a staple here at STEMx, largely because breakthrough discoveries keep popping up on the STEM radars! As the title of the above article suggests, scientists have utilized a new form of light simulation technology to discover an ultramassive black hole. This new black hole, estimated to have a mass thirty billion times greater than that of our Sun, was discovered through the use of a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. By observing how a galaxy bends and warps distant light in a simulation, researchers were able to detect the presence of a massively large black hole by matching the simulated patterns to real light activity in our universe. Beyond the impressive discovery of such a large black hole, the successful implementation of this technology means that we might be able to use similar strategies to progress our understanding of black holes much farther than has heretofore been possible. Gravitational lensing will make it easier to detect inactive black holes, among other things. Check out the article above to learn more, and be sure to check out the provided links to the original research, too!
Earlier this month, on April 14th, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched one of its most ambitious projects to date: a multi-billion dollar probe intent on looking for life on Jupiter's moons. The entire launch process, including videos, expert commentary, and minute-to-minute updates was chronicled in the above article by the BBC. If you're at all interested in space exploration, it's a must-read!
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