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bolverk

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  1. Just heard that one of the hurricane-hunting aircraft had to turn around due to extreme turbulence.
  2. Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is about to get very active — Space photo of the week The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is barreling toward its closest point to the sun as perihelion looms on Oct. 29. How different will it look when it reappears on the other side? Even as a brilliant, naked-eye comet slices through Earth's sky (cheers, Comet Lemmon!), the most famous object in the solar system right now is hidden on the far side of the sun: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. This alien visitor, which most astronomers believe to be a comet originating from an unknown star system far beyond our own, is only the third interstellar object ever detected in our solar system. It is the largest, fastest-moving, and quite likely the oldest interstellar object ever seen. Though it was just confirmed by NASA in early July, the freewheeling ball of ice and dust is already nearing the halfway point on its tour of our solar system. This Wednesday (Oct. 29), 3I/ATLAS will reach perihelion — its closest point to the sun — before beginning its months-long departure from our cosmic neighborhood. We'll miss our interstellar friend, but at least we'll always have the photos. The image above, captured Aug. 27 by the National Science Foundation-operated Gemini South telescope in Chile, may be the clearest image we have so far. As 3I/ATLAS zooms closer to the sun, radiation from our star heats the ice on the comet's body (its nucleus), causing geysers of gas and dust to shoot outward and form a glowing plume (a coma) around it. Radiation pressure from our star's unrelenting solar wind pushes this material into a long, prominent tail angled away from the sun. As 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion this week — coming within 1.4 astronomical units, or 130 million miles (210 million kilometers) of the sun, according to NASA — it may start releasing gas in overdrive. When the comet becomes visible to telescopes again in early November, it may look both bigger and brighter than how it appeared two months ago. Instruments on the ground, in orbit and even on their way to Jupiter will snap to attention, making 3I/ATLAS an even bigger space celebrity as it zooms away from our solar system forever. Studying the interstellar comet with the full range of humankind's astronomical instruments could yield untold secrets about the outer reaches of our galaxy and its mysterious history. Until then, all we can do is wait, feel the warm sunlight on our faces, and know that a trove of cosmic information lurks just on the other side of our star.
  3. Good lord!
  4. Surprised there's not a thread on this yet. It's apparently only the third known interstellar traveler to visit our system (everyone remember the asteroid Oumuamua?). Right now, it's on the opposite side of the sun from us, but it should reappear and again be visible (by telescopes only) by the middle of November, and will come closest to Earth in December. Astronerds are justifiably excited about it since: a) it's only the third interstellar object we've observed, b) its chemical composition is unusual and includes a lot of nickel, which might be a reflection of how ancient it is, and c) conspiracists are having a field day suggesting it's an alien spacecraft or that its outgassing jets could put it on a trajectory to hit Earth or be a near miss. Anyway, I thought this deserved to be in Bada Bing instead of Nerdz since it's likely going to make a lot of news. Nickel article: https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/awakening-an-interstellar-wanderer-surprising-nickel-detection-in-comet-3i-atlas
  5. Looking a little bit better for Kingston (metro pop: 1.2 million) and the rest of the eastern third of the island. I imagine they'll still see tons of coastal flooding, mudslides, and the attendant damage, but let's hope they're spared the worst of the winds. Of course, that's no consolation for the poor folks 50 miles to the west.
  6. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can trigger the immune system to recognize and kill cancer, research finds The researchers found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines could potentially help patients whose tumors don’t respond well to traditional immunotherapy. The COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5 million lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer. This is the surprising takeaway of a new study that we and our colleagues published in the journal Nature. While developing mRNA vaccines for patients with brain tumors in 2016, our team, led by pediatric oncologist Elias Sayour, discovered that mRNA can train immune systems to kill tumors — even if the mRNA is not related to cancer. Based on this finding, we hypothesized that mRNA vaccines designed to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 might also have antitumor effects. So we looked at clinical outcomes for more than 1,000 late-stage melanoma and lung cancer patients treated with a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint inhibitors. This treatment is a common approach doctors use to train the immune system to kill cancer. It does this by blocking a protein that tumor cells make to turn off immune cells, enabling the immune system to continue killing cancer. Remarkably, patients who received either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy were more than twice as likely to be alive after three years compared with those who didn't receive either vaccine. Surprisingly, patients with tumors that don't typically respond well to immunotherapy also saw very strong benefits, with nearly fivefold improvement in three-year overall survival. This link between improved survival and receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine remained strong even after we controlled for factors like disease severity and co-occurring conditions. To understand the underlying mechanism, we turned to animal models. We found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines act like an alarm, triggering the body's immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells and overcome the cancer's ability to turn off immune cells. When combined, vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors coordinate to unleash the full power of the immune system to kill cancer cells. Why it matters Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment over the past decade by producing cures in many patients who were previously considered incurable. However, these therapies are ineffective in patients with "cold" tumors that successfully evade immune detection. Our findings suggest that mRNA vaccines may provide just the spark the immune system needs to turn these "cold" tumors "hot." If validated in our upcoming clinical trial, our hope is that this widely available, low-cost intervention could extend the benefits of immunotherapy to millions of patients who otherwise would not benefit from this therapy. What other research is being done Unlike vaccines for infectious diseases, which are used to prevent an infection, therapeutic cancer vaccines are used to help train the immune systems of cancer patients to better fight tumors. We and many others are currently working hard to make personalized mRNA vaccines for patients with cancer. This involves taking a small sample of a patient's tumor and using machine learning algorithms to predict which proteins in the tumor would be the best targets for a vaccine. However, this approach can be costly and difficult to manufacture. In contrast, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not need to be personalized, are already widely available at low or no cost around the globe, and could be administered at any time during a patient's treatment. Our findings that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have substantial antitumor effects bring hope that they could help extend the anti-cancer benefits of mRNA vaccines to all. What's next In pursuit of this goal, we are preparing to test this treatment strategy in patients with a nationwide clinical trial in people with lung cancer. People receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor will be randomized to either receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine during treatment or not. This study will tell us whether COVID-19 mRNA vaccines should be included as part of the standard of care for patients receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Ultimately, we hope that this approach will help many patients who are treated with immune therapy, and especially those who currently lack effective treatment options. This work exemplifies how a tool born from a global pandemic may provide a new weapon against cancer and rapidly extend the benefits of existing treatments to millions of patients. By harnessing a familiar vaccine in a new way, we hope to extend the lifesaving benefits of immunotherapy to cancer patients who were previously left behind.
  7. ICE detains British journalist after criticism of Israel on US tour Trump ally Laura Loomer took credit for Sami Hamdi’s detainment in move denounced as ‘affront to free speech’ The British journalist Sami Hamdi was reportedly detained on Sunday morning by federal immigration authorities at San Francisco international airport, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) says that action is apparent retaliation for the Muslim political commentator’s criticism of Israel while touring the US. A statement from Cair said it was “a blatant affront to free speech” to detain Hamdi for criticizing Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza while he engaged on a speaking tour in the US. A Trump administration official added in a separate statement that Hamdi was facing deportation. “Our attorneys and partners are working to address this injustice,” Cair’s statement said. The statement also called on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “to immediately account for and release Mr Hamdi”, saying his only “‘crime’ is criticizing a foreign government” that Cair accused of having “committed genocide”. The press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote of Hamdi in a social media post: “This individual’s visa was revoked, and he is in ICE custody pending removal.” McLaughlin’s post also said: “Those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.” During his tour, Hamdi spoke on Saturday at the annual gala for Cair’s chapter in Sacramento. He was expected to speak on Sunday at the gala for the Florida chapter of Cair. McLaughlin’s post about Hamdi’s detention was shared by the Trump administration ally Laura Loomer, who took credit for his being taken into custody. Loomer, who has called herself a “white advocate” and a “proud Islamophobe”, has often peddled conspiracy theories such as endorsing claims that the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 were an “inside job”. In 2018, she infamously chained herself to Twitter’s headquarters in New York City in protest of her account being banned. The billionaire businessman Elon Musk reinstated her account after he bought the social media platform in 2022. “As a direct result of … my relentless pressure on the [state department] and Department of Homeland Security, US officials have now moved to take action against Hamdi’s visa status, and his continued presence in this country,” Loomer posted on social media. Hamdi is the latest of numerous immigrants and travelers who have been arrested and deported by ICE over pro-Palestinian views. Earlier in October, journalist Mario Guevara was deported to El Salvador after having been detailed while live streaming the massive, anti-Trump No Kings protest in June. On 30 September, a federal judge appointed during Ronald Reagan’s presidency ruled the administration’s policy to detain and deport foreign scholars over pro-Palestinian views violates the US constitution and was designed to “intentionally” chill free speech rights. The ruling is bound to be appealed, possibly all the way to the US supreme court, which is dominated by a conservative supermajority made possible by three Trump appointments. The state department, meanwhile, has said it will continue revoking visas under the policy.
  8. Hopefully, we can shut down this thread after this week. Fingers crossed. Here's the forecast from 250 miles to the northwest. Check out Wednesday night.
  9. Wordle 1,591 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟨 🟨🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #869 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🙂 Daily Quordle 1372 5️⃣6️⃣ 7️⃣4️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
  10. Russia proper, a little northeast of Kharkiv. Edit: Sabotage. They're lighting them on fire.
  11. Laissez les Tigres manger
  12. Wordle 1,589 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛🟩 🟨⬛⬛⬛🟩 ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #867 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 SW quad took a long while. 🙂 Daily Quordle 1370 6️⃣4️⃣ 7️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
  13. Oh, I know. Like I said yesterday, here on the edge of the Chihuahua Desert, it was muggy as hell right before it blasted through. That chilly air when it came through and then all day today was wondrous. If you guys survive the the hazardous shit tonight, you're going to love the fuck out of it tomorrow.
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