Monthly Archives: May 2022

As the world embarks on a golden age of space, the pressing problem of space debris must be addressed. Estimated at $14bn for on-orbit services alone, could this give rise to a new industry, asks Keith J Fernandez.

The accelerated pace at which satellites are being launched into space has now drawn attention to some of its unintended consequences. In the process, a new sub-industry in the space sector is emerging.

Over the past year, Japanese startup Astroscale has been testing its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) technology, to show how man-made objects can be serviced and space debris can be removed from low-Earth orbits (LEO).

The two spacecraft that comprise ELSA-d a 175kg servicer and a 17kg cubesat client equipped with a magnetic docking plate were launched into a 550km LEO orbit in March last year. In August, the company said ELSA-d had successfully released and recaptured the client multiple times, offering early proof of concept. Although irregularities stalled the mission earlier this year, Astroscale is set to resume it soon and is learning valuable lessons about satellite servicing operations in space, the company said in a statement.

Astroscale is also working on several other on-orbit products. Its ELSA-M spacecraft, based on an evolution of ELSA-ds technologies, is being created to tidy up non-magnetic satellite debris of up to 800kg at altitudes of 1,325km in a single mission. The Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) craft, selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will show how large-scale debris can be taken out of orbit. And its Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI) mission will provide life extension and manoeuvring services to satellites weighing up to several thousand kilos in geostationary orbit (GEO).

We expect that Astroscale will become a critical service provider for safely removing defunct objects from space and pioneering new ways to service, upgrade and transport spacecraft to maintain and grow the viability of Earths orbits, Ron Lopez, President & Managing Director at Astroscales US arm, tells Satellite Pro.

The tech firm is among the early movers in a developing high-tech garbage disposal industry. Since the USSR launched Sputnik 1, the worlds first artificial satellite, space has become increasingly crowded. As of January, there were 4,852 active satellites currently in orbit, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a science non-profit. But there are also more than 3,000 inactive orbiters above our heads. More than two-thirds of all satellites are in LEO, which requires the lowest energy for satellite placement.

In addition, millions of pieces of space junk circle the Earth. The result of explosions, collisions or anti-satellite tests, these debris are both working and defunct pieces of spacecraft or satellites, including discarded rocket stages, fragmented hardware and even paint flecks.

According to NASAs Orbital Debris office, at least 25,000 of these objects are larger than 10cm across, while another 500,000 are particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter. There are more than 100 million particles larger than 1mm. Of these, the US Space Command actively tracks more than 40,000 objects in space to avoid collision risks.

NASA puts the aggregate weight of material in orbit around Earth at 9,000 metric tons. This junk travels at speeds of up to 17,500mph, fast enough for even a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft. With debris constantly in motion, even communications or navigation systems here on Earth could be rendered in-operational by crashes and collisions.

As the frequency of such collisions increases, more space junk is being created. In theory, the result could be the Kessler Syndrome, a chain reaction of collisions making it difficult to launch new space missions, scientists warn.

If we dont do something within the next few decades 50 years at most then the Kessler Syndrome will become a reality. The youth of today will certainly need to solve the problem, says author and space debris expert John L Crassidis, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo, who works with NASA and the US Air Force on the issue.

In April, an international team of researchers writing in the Nature Astronomy journal highlighted another potential problem, warning that a dramatic rise in space debris will impact a wide range of fields, including astronomy.

Modern society is completely dependent on services from space, Lopez says. Communications, financial systems, navigation, weather and national security warnings, and climate and environmental monitoring are all powered by satellites. The orbits these satellites occupy around Earth are becoming dangerously crowded.

While satellite operators and launch service providers have evolved approaches that remove satellite and spent upper stages from orbit at end-of-mission, this larger active and retired satellite population, and the more crowded orbital environment it will create, will drive future debris volumes unless we take proactive steps to manage the space environment. If the projected trillion-dollar-plus space economy is to be realised, it must be built on a more sustainable foundation. On-orbit servicing is that foundation.

This could generate $14.3bn in revenue through 2031, he adds, citing Northern Sky research.

An exponential increase in the number of launches in this golden era of space exploration is only going to exacerbate the problem. Some 17,000 new satellites are set to be launched through 2030, research from Euroconsult shows. Thats a four-fold increase from the 3,800 sent into orbit over the previous decade, thanks to economies of scale in satellite manufacturing and a strong decrease in launch prices. Of the 170 constellation projects assessed, 110 are by commercial companies, often called New Space players. OneWeb, Starlink, Gwo Wang, Kuiper and Lightspeed represent 58% of these new launches.

Besides defence and aerospace, IT and telecom provide the most significant revenue opportunities over the short and medium term from this pie in the sky. In particular, satellite broadband internet is in greater demand, with the global economy increasingly underpinned by connected technologies such as the internet of things (IoT).

The space economy is projected to be worth $1tn or more in 2040, up from $350bn at present, according to estimates by Morgan Stanley. Government space programmes continue to dominate the sector, accounting for three-quarters of current revenue at about $240bn, but even here the playing field has become more diversified. McKinsey data shows that around 70 countries now have established space programmes, including the UAE, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Rwanda.

Even without this increase in launch rates in a business-as-usual scenario the number of space debris objects greater than 10cm could double in the next 50 years, according to projections by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The ESA is the first space agency to commit to debris neutrality. By 2030, it hopes to be adding zero net debris to the Earth orbital environment, and by 2050 it hopes to have fostered a circular economy in space by using in-orbit servicing to ensure long-term orbital sustainability in other words, to recycle, repurpose and reuse satellites and other man-made space objects.

In 2025, the agency hopes to be the first to remove an item of debris left in orbit. Its Clearspace-1 mission will deploy an experimental four-armed robot to bring back a 100kg Vega Secondary Payload Adapter (Vespa) from an orbit at about 800km, left there in 2013. The $104m project, carried out by Swiss startup ClearSpace, will work to match the velocity of the object before capturing it and bringing it back down into the atmosphere, Chief Engineer Muriel Richards told Newsweek.

Clearing debris is one approach to the problem. Another is refuelling, which could extend satellites lives, meaning fewer new launches. At present, satellites reach the end of their useful life when they run out of fuel. Many must be decommissioned at that point because there is no way to refuel them easily.

San Francisco-based Orbit Fab wants to enable permanent jobs in space and is currently building out the propellant supply chain to support that vision. CEO Daniel Faber tells SatellitePro how his gas stations in space will operate: We will have fuel depots, big simple tanks of fuel that we launch on any available rocket, and reusable fuel shuttles that can take the fuel from the depot to operational satellites. This reusability allows the company to amortise its costs over many deliveries.

In June last year, Orbit Fab launched the first fuel depot to LEO. Tanker 001 Tenzing stores the green propellant high-test peroxide (HTP) in a sun-synchronous orbit to refuel other spacecraft. It hopes to launch a similar depot to GEO this year. Its first two shuttles could be in orbit by 2023.

We have had quite a lot of interest from both companies and governments interested in the refuelling and what it can do to their capital costs, such as moving CapEx to OpEx, as well as introducing mobility and flexibility to the business model, which has previously never been possible in the space industry, Faber says.

Orbit Fab won a $12m contract from AFWERX and SpaceWERX, the US Air Force and Space Force innovation hubs, to integrate its Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI) with Department of Defense spacecraft for on-orbit refuelling missions. RAFTI is a high-tech refuelling system valve comprising a service valve and alignment markers. The company is also working with Astroscale on its new Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI) Servicer spacecraft.

Several other startups have entered the space with proposed life extension and debris monitoring and clearance services. In India, five-year-old startup Manastu Space has created a satellite propulsion system that uses affordable green fuel. It has similar plans to offer refuelling services in space, Indian media report. Portuguese startup Neuraspace raised 2.5m in March for its AI-powered space debris monitoring platform. The solution aims to enable safe and sustainable in-orbit operations in the New Space economy.

Other proposals are looking at repurposing larger objects into small-scale space stations, sending objects at the end of their lives into a graveyard orbit where they are unable to interfere with most space travel and existing satellites, or using the debris as a source of fuel, Crassidis explains.

Taking a comprehensive approach is SpaceLogistics, a US satellite-servicing firm owned by Northrop Grumman, with solutions for repair, recycling and refuelling operations. Rob Hauge, President, SpaceLogistics, tells SatellitePro how the company is working on several space sustainability projects aimed at enhancing and extending satellite life.

SpaceLogistics is the only company providing in-space servicing today, with our two Mission Extension Vehicles (MEVs) which are extending the lives of two Intelsat satellites. Our second-generation vehicles, known as Mission Extension Pods (MEPs), will be installed by our Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV). The MRV and MEPs will continue to reduce the need to build new satellites by extending and enhancing those already in orbit.

SpaceLogistics MEVs are the companys first generation of in-space servicing spacecraft and were designed to extend the life of satellites running low on fuel. Its MEPs, set to launch in 2024, will similarly extend the life of client satellites. The MRVs that install them will also provide on-orbit augmentation, inspection and repair capabilities.

In addition, the MRV will also be the first commercial satellite designed with robotic arms to be flexible to serve as a multi-mission platform to also enable inspection, repositioning and repair of client satellites. The MRV and MEP programmes have completed their preliminary design reviews, the first robotics arm has been assembled, the first test of the MEP capture mechanism has completed, and first light has been achieved with the Hall Current Thruster (HCT) for the electric propulsion system, Hauge says.

In February, SpaceLogistics sold the first MEP to Optus, an Australian satellite telecommunications major. By 2025, the company hopes to take refuelling a step further with Mission Refuelling Pods (MRPs) and active GEO debris removal. By the end of the decade, it wants to be manufacturing and assembling spacecraft on-orbit.

On our horizon is enabling the eventual repurposing and recycling of what is already on-orbit, to make space truly sustainable, says Hauge.

The US recently became the first country to announce a ban on missile tests against space satellites, but the scale of the problem requires more than individual approaches, something the global community seems to realise.

The United Nations published guidelines concerning space debris in 2010, the start of what has been called a highway code for space. Last June, the leaders of the EU and the G7 group of nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the UK agreed to focus on the development of common standards of sustainable operations, as well as space traffic management and coordination.

Now momentum is building around the Net-Zero Space Initiative, aimed at actively reducing orbital debris. Yet, resolving the issue needs more action. We need to have all countries agree to these common guidelines, which hasnt happened yet, Crassidis says.

Read the rest here:

The rise of a new industry as space junk becomes big business - SatellitePro ME - SatelliteProME.com

In the winter of 2006, a distressing phenomenon began to make headlines. Beekeepers across the country were reporting troubling losses of their honey bee hives, at a scale and for causes not seen before.

The majority of worker bees in a colony would disappear, leaving behind the queen, plenty of honey, and a few nurse and immature bees. Colonies cannot survive without worker bees, and as many as 90% of beekeepers hives were being lost.

Stories about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) were amplified with the vital role that honey bees play in pollination and their critical link in agriculture production. There were dire warnings that the collapse of the honey bee population would lead to the collapse of the national and global food supply.

Soon after CCD stories became widespread, David Tarpy, NCState Extension specialist in apiculture and beekeeping, noticed a phenomenon of his own.

When I started in 2003 it was before CCD hit all the headlines, he said. There were just under 1,200 members of the state association. Today there are nearly 5,000. They had 44 county chapters that met once a month. Now theres something like 89 chapters, and half of them meet in their local Extension office. We have the most beekeepers in the nation, probably outright but definitely per capita.

Motivations can vary. Some North Carolina beekeepers do it for business opportunities, to harvest the honey to sell at farmers markets or to friends, family and neighbors. A few beekeepers have expanded their hives and are providing commercial pollination services.

But just about all of them have something in common.

Most of them are getting into it because they hear that bees are in trouble, Tarpy said. Its something theyve always been curious about, and always wanted to do. It was enough of a curiosity and impulse to get started and keep bees as a hobby.

Beekeeping is a great way to help the environment and perhaps even make some money. It is relatively inexpensive to get started.

Learn more.

Seth Nagy, Extension director in Caldwell County, observed something similar in his area.

When Colony Collapse Disorder showed up and it was in the news cycle, locally we went from beekeepers calling us occasionally to a massive increase in awareness about bees, he said. We might be talking to somebody and suggest a crop protectant or a pesticide, and they might say something like, Well, I dont want to do anything that harms the bees. I know we need them.

May 20 is World Bee Day, first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. It was chosen in honor of Anton Jana, a pioneer of modern apiculture who was born on the date in Slovenia in 1734. The purpose of the day is not to celebrate Jana, but rather to raise awareness of the ecological importance of bees and their general health.

In 2022, the good news is there are plenty of honey bees. But there are significant challenges.

A lot of people equate all bees as being the same, Tarpy said. Solitary native bees that are not under the purview of humans are in decline because of habitat loss. Since honey bees are managed they arent going extinct. We just have difficulty in keeping them healthy.

When the Asian Giant Hornet aka the murder hornet began generating headlines, NCState Extension created a guide to help identify the wasps and bees that buzz around North Carolina.

View the interactive guide.

NCStates apiculture program helps North Carolinas beekeepers meet the challenges through research, education and Extension.

We are doing research on different stressors of honey bees to try to find ways to mitigate them, Tarpy said. That leads directly into our Extension work, which is to educate beekeepers about better management techniques and best management practices. Thats where we have our most effective impact, trying to make existing beekeepers better.

Among the major stressors affecting the health of honey bees are parasites and pathogens, disease agents that make bees sick. The worst of them is a parasitic mite called varroa.

Thats what a lot of our training is focused on, Tarpy said. There are many different options, but theres no silver bullet. You can do the same thing to two different colonies and theyll respond differently. Its about trying to get beekeepers to understand the complexity of the entire issue.

Other stressors are pesticides and environmental contaminants, things that bees can encounter in their environment that are toxic to them; and nutritional stress, including habitat loss that reduces the amount of pollen and nectar-bearing flowers.

It used to be possible to be a bee haver; you could have a hive of honey bees and let them do their thing. Youd go in there once a year and take excess honey, and that was about it, Tarpy said. Now you have to be an active beekeeper, because there have been these introduced disease agents that our bees dont have a natural defense against. As a result they succumb to them if left on their own. So honey bees really do need a lot more hand-holding these days than before.

In this issue of Homegrown, Hannah Levenson, Ph.D. student in NCStates apiculture program, shares an update on efforts to conserve pollinator habitats and how you can begin growing your own pollinator paradise.

Watch now.

Much of the education component takes place through the Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES), an online resource that offers courses for beginning and advanced beekeepers.

We built the BEES network to empower the Extension agents so that they didnt have to be experts in beekeeping, Tarpy said. They could rely on my expertise and these online lecture materials to educate their local beekeepers.

Before the pandemic, Extension apiculture added an in-person element with the introduction of three regional BEES Academies, held in Caldwell, Chatham and Brunswick counties. The academies took elements from the online course and added live training sessions conducted by Tarpy.

The idea was we would take newer or even seasoned beekeepers and help add to their knowledge, dive into some of these topics like disease management and hive management, said Nagy, whose Extension center hosted one of the events. The second day we had some hands-on components where we did mite checks, as well as some things with the industry like hive products and how to expand offerings that could generate revenue. It was just a fascinating program.

COVID-19 restrictions put the academies on hold, but there are plans to resume in the fall.

Another development on the horizon that will empower Extension to help North Carolina beekeepers is construction of a new field research facility in Raleigh, replacing the dilapidated building that was condemned.

The state beekeepers, on hearing the news that our field research facility was condemned in late 2020, went to the state legislature and got funding for a new field lab, Tarpy said. That is in the works to be built in the next few years. It will include an Extension center so we can start having Extension activities at our field lab again.

While there are challenges, Tarpy encourages anyone who has thought about becoming a beekeeper to take the plunge.

Anything to promote bees is helpful, he said. Its a great gateway into agriculture, a great way into farming and local produce.

Go here to read the rest:

Bee the Solution | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - NC State CALS

One of the U.S. Navys old Ticonderoga-class cruisers is slated for decommissioning next year, but it is currently undergoing modernization servicing that would extend its serviceability. The warship, the USS Vicksburg, is reportedly 85 percent finished with its overhaul. Another ship, the USS Tortuga, a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, is undergoing similar service life extension upgrades but is also scheduled for decommissioning.

In addition, the Navy would like to scrap every single Freedom-class Littoral Combat Shipone of the newest ship classes in United States naval servicea move that garnered blistering criticism from some lawmakers.

During a House Appropriations committee meeting, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) expressed exasperation with the Navys expenditure in light of decommissioning schedules.

Some of these shipsespecially the Littoral Combat Shipsare among the newest in the fleet. The Navy claims they dont have enough sufficient funding to maintain and operate these ships, but thats not the case. Instead, theyve mismanaged billions of dollars in maintenance funding. One glaring example of this is the USS Vicksburg, a cruiser up for decommissioning this year, Granger said.

Since 2020, the Navy has awarded nearly $500 million in contracts to upgrade the cruiser. At a time when the ship is still in its maintenance period, the Navy is proposing to scrap it. If the Navy experts expect Congress to support its vision for this fleet, it must do a much better job of managing the inventory it has. We will not stand idly by as valuable taxpayer funds are wasted.

The Navy has argued that money spent overhauling aged platforms like the Ticonderoga-class cruisersor the problem-ridden Littoral Combat Shipscould be better invested in modernizing more capable warships rather than marginally improving old platforms.

Chief of Naval Operations Mark Gilday explained the Navys rationale behind its future force structure plans.

We took a look at our topline and we took a look at a Navy that we can sustain, a Navy that we can afford. In other words, were trying to field the most lethal, capable, ready Navy we can based on the budget that we have rather than a larger Navy thats less capable, less lethal and less ready, Gilday explained to appropriation lawmakers.

So we stratified our warfighting platforms. An LCS fell at the bottom of that stratification, along with the older cruisers that have an older radar, that have leaks below the waterline, radars that cant detect these new Chinese threats, as an example.

Some lawmakers expressed skepticism about the Navys decision to retire ships now to invest in higher-end capabilities in the future. It seems that the tussle between lawmakers and the Navy will continue.

One of the U.S. Navys old Ticonderoga-class cruisers is slated for decommissioning next year, but it is currently undergoing modernization servicing that would extend its serviceability. The warship, the USS Vicksburg, is reportedly 85 percent finished with its overhaul. Another ship, the USS Tortuga, a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, is undergoing similar service life extension upgrades but is also scheduled for decommissioning.

In addition, the Navy would like to scrap every single Freedom-class Littoral Combat Shipone of the newest ship classes in United States naval servicea move that garnered blistering criticism from some lawmakers.

During a House Appropriations committee meeting, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) expressed exasperation with the Navys expenditure in light of decommissioning schedules.

Some of these shipsespecially the Littoral Combat Shipsare among the newest in the fleet. The Navy claims they dont have enough sufficient funding to maintain and operate these ships, but thats not the case. Instead, theyve mismanaged billions of dollars in maintenance funding. One glaring example of this is the USS Vicksburg, a cruiser up for decommissioning this year, Granger said.

Since 2020, the Navy has awarded nearly $500 million in contracts to upgrade the cruiser. At a time when the ship is still in its maintenance period, the Navy is proposing to scrap it. If the Navy experts expect Congress to support its vision for this fleet, it must do a much better job of managing the inventory it has. We will not stand idly by as valuable taxpayer funds are wasted.

The Navy has argued that money spent overhauling aged platforms like the Ticonderoga-class cruisersor the problem-ridden Littoral Combat Shipscould be better invested in modernizing more capable warships rather than marginally improving old platforms.

Chief of Naval Operations Mark Gilday explained the Navys rationale behind its future force structure plans.

We took a look at our topline and we took a look at a Navy that we can sustain, a Navy that we can afford. In other words, were trying to field the most lethal, capable, ready Navy we can based on the budget that we have rather than a larger Navy thats less capable, less lethal and less ready, Gilday explained to appropriation lawmakers.

So we stratified our warfighting platforms. An LCS fell at the bottom of that stratification, along with the older cruisers that have an older radar, that have leaks below the waterline, radars that cant detect these new Chinese threats, as an example.

Some lawmakers expressed skepticism about the Navys decision to retire ships now to invest in higher-end capabilities in the future. It seems that the tussle between lawmakers and the Navy will continue.

Caleb Larson is a multimedia journalist and defense writer with the National Interest. A graduate of UCLA, he also holds a Master of Public Policy and lives in Berlin. He covers the intersection of conflict, security, and technology, focusing on American foreign policy, European security, and German society for both print and radio. Follow him on Twitter @calebmlarson.

Image: Reuters.

Read more from the original source:

Navy Officials and Lawmakers Clash Over the Service's Future Budget - The National Interest Online

Lloyd Singleton| Director, N.C. Cooperative Extension New Hanover County Center at the Arboretum

Change is inevitable, and I find helping to manage change a worthy endeavor. In Cooperative Extension, this work often falls under the broad program area known as community development, a planned effort to build the capacity of residents to improve their quality of life.

In this Journal of Extension article, the current priorities for Extensions community development work are discussed. Growing vibrant, resilient communities includes exploring avenues to help communities build and expand on their unique assets; in New Hanover County, this includes promoting eco-tourism.

Renewing civic engagement of local people, institutions, and organizations helps gain support for the tough choices that communities must make today. A task force of multiple organizations and interested citizens can put feet to this work. Enhancing community decision-making and governance plays out with Extension introducing sound data and analysis to assess alternatives and guide local decision-making. This includes the implementation of strategies that promote sustainability: economic, social, environmental, and cultural in nature. Engaging the resources of our University communities, both faculty and students, provides sound analysis.

More: What the history of Eagles Island and Wilmington's 'west bank' tells us about its future

More: 'So many red flags': West bank development sees pushback from Wilmington residents

This week, Im presenting a workshop for the North Carolina Association of Community Development Extension Professionals right here in Wilmington. This annual conference seeks to bring together Extension professionals from across the state to share resources, programs, information, and experiences relating all program areas to community development. Titled Sharing Our Stories, Connecting Communities, the story Im telling is that of visioning an Eagles Island Nature Park on the 3,100 acres at the confluence of the Cape Fear and Brunswick rivers. The idea started well over a decade ago as a highest and best use of the compound flood plain across from downtown Wilmington, a patchwork of property owners and uses mostly south of the revered USS North Carolina battleship. A cochair, Evan Folds of New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District and I have led a task force of many interested parties over the past two years, working with the resource of the incredibly talented team leading NC State Universitys Coastal Dynamics Design Lab. The visioning process has led to an inspiring vision book, available for download at http://eaglesislandnaturepark.org/.

The next step with the Coastal Dynamics Design Labwas a student cohort lab for the spring semester this year of further project visioning and planning. These 25 wide-eyed, curious, out-of-the-box thinkers (architecture and landscape architecture students) formed five teams to offer final projects that addressed the task forces goal of a park for conservation, recreation and education. The Gullah Geechee cultural heritage of rice production, the early ship-building and rich naval stores history, the ecosystem services of the land including a home for several rare species, and the recreational potential of the area were all treated in such respectful and creative ways. Concise videos of the NC State Coastal Dynamics Design Lab final student projects are worth the watch, inspiring views of what the west bank of the Cape Fear River could best become in the light of changing climate and land use.

Its hard to say where it goes from here. There is plenty of attention currently on what may happen on the other side of the river with development proposals and zoning change requests. Im pleased as an Extension Agent to help bring a community development perspective, a planned effort to build the capacity of residents to improve the quality of their life. If youre interested to know more, please download the vision book and well capture your email information to include you in future communications.

Lloyd Singleton is director, N.C. Cooperative Extension New Hanover County Center at the Arboretum. The Arboretum gardens are free and open daily from 8 a.m.5 p.m. Singleton can be reached at 910-798-7660 or preferably by email to lsingleton@nhcgov.com.

View post:

Visioning Eagles Island as a nature park - StarNewsOnline.com

Many animal species die after they reproduce. But in octopus mothers, this decline is particularly alarming: In most species, as an octopus mother's eggs get close to hatching, she stops eating. She then leaves her protective huddle over her brood and becomes bent on self-destruction. She might beat herself against a rock, tear at her own skin, even eat pieces of her own arms.

Now, researchers have discovered the chemicals that seem to control this fatal frenzy. After an octopus lays eggs, she undergoes changes in the production and use of cholesterol in her body, which in turn increases her production of steroid hormones a biochemical shift that will doom her. Some of the changes may hint at processes that explain longevity in invertebrates more generally, said Z. Yan Wang, an assistant professor of psychology and biology at the University of Washington.

"Now that we have these pathways, we're really interested to link them to individual behaviors, or even individual differences in how animals express these behaviors," Wang told Live Science.

Even as an English-major undergraduate student, Wang was intrigued by female reproduction, she said. When she transitioned into graduate school in science, she kept that interest, and was struck by the dramatic deaths of octopus mothers after they laid their eggs. No one knows the purpose of the behavior. Theories include the idea that the dramatic death displays draw predators away from eggs, or that the mother's body releases nutrients into the water that nurture the eggs. Most likely, Wang said, the die-off protects the babies from the older generation. Octopuses are cannibals, she said, and if older octopuses stuck around, they might end up eating all of each other's young.

Related: How do octopuses change color?

A 1977 study by Brandeis University psychologist Jerome Wodinsky found the mechanism behind this self-destruction lay in the optic glands, a set of glands near the octopus's eyes that is roughly equivalent to the pituitary gland in humans. If the nerves to the optic gland were cut, Wodinsky found, the mother octopus would abandon her eggs, start eating again and live for another four to six months. That's an impressive life extension for creatures that live only about a year.

But no one knew what the optic gland was doing to control this cascade of self-injury.

"From the very beginning, I was really keen to do the experiments that we outlined in the paper we just published, which is essentially juicing the optic gland and then identifying the components of that juice," Wang said.

Wang and her colleagues analyzed the chemicals produced in the optic glands of California two-spot octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) after they laid eggs. In 2018, a genetic analysis of the same species showed that after egg-laying, the genes in the optic glands that produce steroid hormones (which are built, in part, with cholesterol components) started going into overdrive. With that study as a guidepost, the scientists focused on the steroids and related chemicals produced by the optic glands in the two-spot octopuses.

They found three separate chemical shifts that occurred around the time the octopus mother laid her eggs. The first was a rise in pregnenolone and progesterone, two hormones associated with reproduction in a host of creatures (in humans, progesterone rises during ovulation and during early pregnancy). The second shifts were more surprising. The octopus mothers began to produce higher levels of a building block of cholesterol called 7-dehydrocholesterol, or 7-DHC. Humans produce 7-DHC in the process of making cholesterol too, but they don't keep any in their systems for long; the compound is toxic. In fact, infants born with the genetic disorder Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome can't clear 7-DHC. The result is intellectual disability, behavioral problems including self-harm, and physical abnormalities like extra fingers and toes, and cleft palate.

Finally, the optic glands also began producing more components for bile acids, which are acids made by the liver in humans and other animals. Octopuses don't have the same kind of bile acids as mammals, but they do, apparently, make the building blocks for those bile acids.

"It suggests that it is a brand new class of signaling molecules in the octopus," Wang said.

The bile acid components are intriguing, Wang said, because a similar set of acids has been shown to control the life span of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which is commonly used in scientific research because of its simplicity. It may be that the bile acid components are important for controlling longevity across invertebrate species, Wang said.

Octopuses are hard to study in captivity because they require a lot of space and perfect conditions for them to grow to sexual maturity and breed. Wang and other octopus researchers have now worked out a way to keep the lesser Pacific striped octopus (Octopus chierchiae) alive and breeding in the lab. Unlike most other octopus species, Pacific striped octopuses can mate multiple times and brood multiple clutches of eggs. They don't self-destruct as their eggs get ready to hatch, making them perfect specimens for studying the origin of the morbid behavior.

"I'm really, really excited to study the dynamics of the optic gland in that species," Wang said.

The researchers published their findings May 12 in the journal Current Biology.

Originally published on Live Science.

Continued here:

Octopuses torture and eat themselves after mating. Science finally knows why. - Livescience.com

Coventry University and TWI have taken their long-standing relationship a step further with the establishment of the research and development (R&D) focused Advanced Structural Integrity Innovation Centre (ASIIC).

ASIIC will see Coventry University and TWI build a platform to combine both parties expertise in structural integrity, fostering a collaborative research culture to bring innovation to the market place. The centres mission is to advance cutting-edge technologies, and develop novel methods, for safety-critical applications that will make operations in the field more reliable, and incorporate industry 4.0 elements such as internet of things (IoT) and machine learning. The key focus of the collaboration will be to create new systems that can predict asset integrity more accurately, extend their lifespan and improve the overall performance of structures.

At the core of ASIIC are plans to develop collaborations with SMEs, research and technology organisations (RTOs) in the UK and Europe, TWI Industrial Member companies and TWI Innovation Network (TWIIN) subscriber organisations. ASIIC will exploit the facilities of both Coventry University and TWI to undertake joint research programmes, utilising public funding, that can build a portfolio of novel technologies, methods, and techniques, and stimulate new design in structural integrity solutions.

The centre will focus on key research areas that include: residual stress analysis for improved structural integrity life prediction and life enhancement, novel condition monitoring techniques including novel sensing technologies, digital twin for real-time monitoring of in-service assets and provision of operational and planning date, and research and guidance development on the effect of simulated service environments, for example hydrogen gas, for structural integrity applications.

In addition, ASIIC will concentrate on: the integrity of advanced materials components, such as complex geometries, for additive manufacturing, development of advanced, non-destructive (NDT) testing and inspection techniques for industrial application, and utilisation of data modelling to enable industries, such as construction and engineering to take proactive measures to keep buildings and large infrastructure safe for use.

Professor Matthew Dor, Centre Director of ASIIC, as well as Section Manager for Fatigue & Fracture at TWI, said TWI is delighted to establish this new Innovation Centre with Coventry University, which will take on industrial challenges in relation to structural integrity, and provide efficient, new solutions for extending the lifecycle of assets, improving their performance and mitigating damage. Adding In turn, these activities will pave the ways for deepening the application of structural integrity methods and systems at technology readiness levels (TRLs) 1-6.

Matthew joined TWI in 2000 and, since then, has been extensively involved in areas such as fatigue design, fracture mechanics, mechanical testing, residual stress, fatigue life extension and site investigations. He is also a Chartered Engineer through The Welding Institute, is currently Chair of the fatigue design rules for BS 7608, BS 7910, and represents the UK for the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Commission XIII.

Professor Michael Fitzpatrick, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Coventry University, said Our new Innovation Centre builds on Coventrys leading expertise in structural integrity research, combined with TWIs world-class facilities and broad network of industrial partners. Our collaboration with the National Structural Integrity Research Centre has been delivering fantastic research for several years and has provided the launch pad for this new initiative. Our intention is to deliver world-leading research that will impact on safety-critical infrastructure and applications around the world.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/19052022/coventry-university-and-twi-deliver-new-innovation-centre/

View original post here:

Coventry University and TWI deliver new innovation centre - World Pipelines

Research shows participating in gardening and other horticultural activities gives people a more positive outlook on life.

Texas A&M AgriLife photo

Getting outdoors and gardening can do more than just provide some physical activity and produce food for the table; it can be beneficial to the mind as well.

Although there are many functional benefits of gardening and the inherent ways in which plants improve the quality of life,Texas A&M AgriLifeexperts say a particularly important aspect is how plants enhance mental health and a persons overall outlook.

As many people already knew and others discovered during the pandemic, plant-related hobbies like gardening offer an opportunity to enjoy nature and give a person a more positive outlook on life, said Charles Hall, professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculturein theDepartment of Horticultural Sciencesof the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Bryan-College Station.

Hall has done extensive research on how plants and gardening can improve both physical and mental health.

Research by Hall, presented in an article published in theJournal of Environmental Horticulture, outlines the numerous psychological benefits of plants and the activity of gardening in a variety of categories. These benefits include:

Hall said the pandemic was partly responsible for an increased interest in gardening as more people were becoming involved in at-home activities.

He said being in natural settings and engaging in activities like gardening have a positive impact on peoples feelings of vitality and energy.

Consequently, this has a significant positive effect on a persons overall mental health, Hall said.

He also noted that the activities of gardening and plant care help distract the mind and put it into a quieter and more relaxed state.

Master Gardeners are involved in a number of community outreach and education activities related to gardening and horticultural education.

Texas A&M AgriLife photo

Jayla Fry,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Serviceprogram coordinator for the agencysTexas Master Gardenervolunteer effort, said almost every day she sees gardenings calming effect and ability to improve a persons outlook.

Through the Department of Horticultural Sciences, AgriLife Extension oversees thousands of adult Master Gardener volunteers throughout the state, she said. These Master Gardeners support agency horticultural programs and reach tens of thousands of people annually through their educational and community beautification efforts. These volunteers can attest to the positive psychological benefits gardening provides for them and for those they work with in the community.

Further commenting on the intersection of plants, gardens and mental health was Joseph Johnson, manager ofThe Gardens at Texas A&M University.

We think of The Gardens area as the Central Park for theTexas A&M Universitycampus, he said.

The Gardens is a 27-acre public teaching garden on campus that serves as a living classroom for educational, inspirational and recreational experiences. Primarily a peaceful retreat away from the activity of campus and the surrounding community, students and visitors alike visit to enjoy and learn from the nature that surrounds them.

The Gardens helps enrich their lives by connecting them with the living world of horticulture, Johnson said. Students and community members can more easily relax being in such a beautiful and tranquil place. It makes them feel more peaceful in their minds and souls.

The Junior Master Gardener Program introduces children to the joys and benefits of gardening.

Texas A&M AgriLife photo

Hall said when young people, particularly students, have a view of green spaces during school, they exhibit significantly better performance on attention tests and stress recovery.

They get even greater psychological benefits if theres aclassroom or teaching gardenon their campus, he said. These gardens provide opportunities for young people to improve their social, physical, psychological, cognitive, environmental and spiritual well-being.

Randy Seagraves, AgriLife Extension specialist and curriculum coordinator for itsJunior Master Gardenerprogram in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, said it is common to see a childs demeanor and attitude improve as soon as he or she steps into a garden.

We see them slow down, pause and smile, he said. For many of these kids, being a part of a school garden project will be their very first garden connection. When young gardeners have the experience of planting and caring for something from seed to harvest, they get a sense of accomplishment, pride and ownership. Its a real esteem-builder for them.

Hall said in addition to improved concentration and attention, children in schools with classroom gardens have been shown to have fewer instances of interpersonal conflict and bullying.

Gardening is conducive to generating a positive learning environment, reducing childrens tendency towards distraction and helping them better concentrate on schoolwork, he said. Children engaged in classroom gardens get to be outside, be physically active and work together toward a common goal. Maybe most importantly, they also get to understand how patience and persistence are needed for them to literally see the fruits of their labor.

Building a community garden often brings together people of different experiences and backgrounds.

Texas A&M AgriLife photo

Hall said another psychological benefit of gardening is its ability to bring people together socially, especially in the case of a community garden.

Neighborhoods with a community garden are often more friendly and inviting, he said. And a community garden helps break down certain social barriers in that you will often see people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and economic levels collaborating on them. This sense of community is really the glue that makes a neighborhood special and allows people a chance to really get to know and understand one another.

Miquela Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist-health, Lubbock, with AgriLife Extensions Family and Community Health unit, said studies show people atlower economic levels experience greater average net benefits from home gardening compared to medium- and high-income respondents.

One reason is likely that low-income families often live in food deserts and experience greater food insecurity from limited access to fresh produce, she said. Home or community gardening allows them to grow their own nutritious food, which provides some measure of control over their food security and has a positive impact on their physical and mental well-being.

Smith also noted gardening is one of the ways people can improve their mindfulness as a means of supporting their mental health.

Gardening is an excellent activity for practicing mindfulness, which is beneficial to overall well-being, she said. The ability to use our hands, coupled with being outside, makes it less likely to be distracted by phones or other technology. This helps you focus and distract your mind from those things that would worry you.

She also reiterated Halls point that gardening can also be a family or community activity that promotes togetherness and provides the opportunity for making personal connections.

This ability to make and sustain personal connections is something that is beneficial to all people, regardless of demographics, Smith said.

Read more:

The Positive Effects Of Gardening On Mental Health - Texas A&M University Today