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Black Hole Passage May Have Left Trace in Galactic Disk

10:12 AM ETConfirmed

Science Desk

In Short: Monitoring solar activity and near-Earth space conditions, researchers have identified a feature in the Milky Way's galactic disk that may have been created by a massive black hole or the nucleus of a dwarf galaxy passing through it approximately 20 million years ago.

According to theories, fast radio bursts (FRBs) — transient blasts of radiation lasting milliseconds to a few seconds — can serve as tools to probe the cosmos for elusive matter, including dark matter and dark energy.

Several theories exist regarding the exact cause of FRBs, including rapidly spinning magnetars, black hole and neutron star mergers, and binary star interactions.

In a separate development, a randomized phase 3 clinical trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting showed that patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months following focused stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), compared with nine months after an advanced form of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT).

Chad Rusthoven, MD, co-principal investigator of the trial and a radiation oncologist at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, emphasized the need for caution in assigning specific causes to the observed differences in survival.

Vinai Gondi, MD, lead principal investigator of the trial and director of radiation oncology at the Northwestern Medicine West Region and Proton Center, noted that advances in radiation therapy have fundamentally changed treatment options for patients with brain metastases.

The NRG-CC009 trial compared SRS against hippocampal-avoidant whole brain radiation therapy (HA-WBRT) combined with memantine, a neuroprotective pharmaceutical.

A British-built rover on Mars is set to drill deeper into the planet's surface than previous missions, reaching layers better protected from destructive radiation.

Susanne Schwenzer, professor of planetary mineralogy at the Open University and an interdisciplinary scientist on the mission, said the deeper access could transform the search for preserved traces of ancient life.

An American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after a passenger allegedly launched into a racist and homophobic tirade, assaulted people around him, and had to be restrained.

Police in the UK are increasing intelligence-gathering efforts and preparing to use every power at their disposal to respond to further disruption by the far-right group Patriot Platform.

Background

What's confirmed

• According to theories, fast radio bursts (FRBs) — transient blasts of radiation lasting milliseconds to a few seconds — can serve as tools to probe the cosmos for elusive matter, including dark matter and dark energy.
• Several theories exist regarding the exact cause of FRBs, including rapidly spinning magnetars, black hole and neutron star mergers, and binary star interactions.
• In a separate development, a randomized phase 3 clinical trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting showed that patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months following focused stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), compared with nine months after an advanced form of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT).
• Chad Rusthoven, MD, co-principal investigator of the trial and a radiation oncologist at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, emphasized the need for caution in assigning specific causes to the observed differences in survival.
• Vinai Gondi, MD, lead principal investigator of the trial and director of radiation oncology at the Northwestern Medicine West Region and Proton Center, noted that advances in radiation therapy have fundamentally changed treatment options for patients with brain metastases.
• The NRG-CC009 trial compared SRS against hippocampal-avoidant whole brain radiation therapy (HA-WBRT) combined with memantine, a neuroprotective pharmaceutical.
• A British-built rover on Mars is set to drill deeper into the planet's surface than previous missions, reaching layers better protected from destructive radiation.
• Susanne Schwenzer, professor of planetary mineralogy at the Open University and an interdisciplinary scientist on the mission, said the deeper access could transform the search for preserved traces of ancient life.
• An American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after a passenger allegedly launched into a racist and homophobic tirade, assaulted people around him, and had to be restrained.
• Police in the UK are increasing intelligence-gathering efforts and preparing to use every power at their disposal to respond to further disruption by the far-right group Patriot Platform.

What's still developing

• Monitoring solar activity, geomagnetic storms, radiation events, and near-Earth space conditions.
• The feature was likely created by a massive black hole or the nucleus of a dwarf galaxy that passed through the galactic disk about 20 million years ago.
• Regardless, scientists have found FRBs to be a useful tool for probing the cosmos for matter that otherwise eludes detection ("missing matter"), testing fundamental physics, and searching for elusive Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
• These transient events are basically blasts of radiation (in the radio spectrum) that last from milliseconds to a few seconds and are never heard from again.
• "normal" or "luminous") matter, and how and where it clusters.
• “Although no differences were observed in neurocognitive function between the treatment arms, the improved survival with SRS addresses a fundamental historical concern with SCLC – that omission of WBRT might lead to worse survival,” said Gondi.
• For decades, SCLC has remained an exception to the broader oncology shift toward focused radiation for secondary brain tumors because of concerns that treating only visible lesions could leave microscopic cancer unchecked throughout the brain.
• “Our findings suggest that patients can now have a more individualized discussion about whether focused radiosurgery or whole brain treatment is right for them.” Brain metastases occur when primary cancer cells disseminate through the vascular system to the brain, presenting complex clinical challenges for multidisciplinary oncology and respiratory healthcare teams.
• SRS delivers high-dose radiation directly to individual lesions while sparing adjacent healthy brain tissue, whereas WBRT targets the whole brain to treat both visible metastases and microscopic seedings.
• The Martian surface has been exposed to cosmic and solar radiation for billions of years, conditions capable of breaking down organic molecules that might once have provided evidence of past life.
• That makes the mission a test not only of Mars’ past habitability, but of how effectively traces of ancient life can remain preserved on a planet that became hostile to life billions of years ago.
• He allegedly screamed about Jesus & going to hell, called a Black flight attendant the N-word, used the F-slur, then became violent, hitting another passenger and striking their computer. (Via TMZ) pic.twitter.com/HD1zrtx07V The September 3 flight departed Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport bound for Newark Liberty International Airport before the situation escalated badly enough to force a diversion to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Sources

• The Watchers - Watching the world evolve and transformlink
• Universe Todaylink
• Respiratory-Therapylink
• Dailygalaxylink
• Thesourcelink
• Inewslink
• Mynorthwestlink
• Consequencelink
• Innovationnewsnetworklink
• Naturelink
• Smithsonianmaglink
• Quantumzeitgeistlink
• WarpBeat — background on Theoretical Physicists Propose Black Hole Decay Into Boson Star link
• WarpBeat — background on Black Hole Could Decay Into Boson Star link