East Antarctica's Denman Glacier has retreated almost 3 miles over last 22 years

Illustration of Antarctica on Earth from space

East Antarctica's Denman Glacier has retreated 5 kilometers, nearly 3 miles, in the past 22 years, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are concerned that the shape of the ground surface beneath the ice sheet could make it even more susceptible to climate-driven collapse.

If fully thawed, the ice in Denman would cause sea levels worldwide to rise about 1.5 meters, almost 5 feet. With this sobering fact in mind, the UCI and NASA JPL scientists have completed the most thorough examination yet of the glacier and surrounding area, uncovering alarming clues about its condition under further global warming.

The team's assessment is the subject of a paper published today in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"East Antarctica has long been thought to be less threatened, but as glaciers such as Denman have come under closer scrutiny by the cryosphere science community, we are now beginning to see evidence of potential marine ice sheet instability in this region," said co-author Eric Rignot, chair, Donald Bren Professor and Chancellor's Professor of Earth system science at UCI.

"The ice in West Antarctica has been melting faster in recent years, but the sheer size of Denman Glacier means that its potential impact on long-term sea level rise is just as significant," he added.

According to the study, Denman Glacier experienced a cumulative mass loss of 268 billion tons of ice between 1979 and 2017.

Using radar interferometer data from the Italian Space Agency's COSMO-SkyMed satellite system, the researchers more precisely determined Denman's grounding line, the point at which the ice leaves the land and begins to float in the ocean.

"Differential synthetic aperture radar interferometer data from 1996 to 2018 showed us a marked asymmetry in the grounding line retreat at the ice sheet's land-sea interface," said lead author Virginia Brancato, a postdoctoral fellow with NASA JPL who was a postdoctoral scholar at UCI when the study was conducted.

Denman's eastern flank is protected from retreat by a subglacial ridge. But Brancato said that the western flank, which extends roughly 4 kilometers, is characterized by a deep and steep trough with a bed slope conducive to accelerated retreat.

"Because of the shape of the ground beneath Denman's western side, there is potential for rapid and irreversible retreat, and that means substantial increases in global sea levels in the future," she said.

In December, Nature Geoscience published a paper on the BedMachine Antarctica project led by Mathieu Morlighem, UCI associate professor of Earth system science, which revealed that the trough beneath Denman Glacier extends 3,500 meters below sea level, making it the deepest land canyon on Earth.

The UCI and NASA JPL scientists report in the Geophysical Research Letters paper that the bed configuration of Denman is unique in Antarctica's eastern sector. Other major glaciers, such as Totten and Moscow University, feature prograde beds that slope down in the flow direction, providing some measure of stability, Rignot said.

Tracking the state of the floating extension of Denman Glacier, a 24,000-square-kilometer mass that includes the Shackleton Ice Shelf and Denman ice tongue, will be especially important, he added. The researchers used the German Aerospace Center's TanDEM-X satellite in combination with data from COSMO-SkyMed to assess the melt rate of the floating sea ice, learning that the Denman ice tongue has shed mass at a rate of about 3 meters per year, above average compared to other East Antarctic ice shelves.

"We need to collect oceanographic data near Denman and keep an eye on its grounding line," Rignot said. "The Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellite system is the only tool for us to monitor grounding line conditions in this sector of Antarctica, and we are fortunate to have on our team Dr. Brancato, who is skilled in extrapolating the data to give us the precise and up-to-date information we require."

Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils

Primordial ocean floor concept 

A team led by UC Riverside geologists has discovered the first ancestor on the family tree that contains most familiar animals today, including humans.

The tiny, wormlike creature, named Ikaria wariootia, is the earliest bilaterian, or organism with a front and back, two symmetrical sides, and openings at either end connected by a gut. The paper is published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The earliest multicellular organisms, such as sponges and algal mats, had variable shapes. Collectively known as the Ediacaran Biota, this group contains the oldest fossils of complex, multicellular organisms. However, most of these are not directly related to animals around today, including lily pad-shaped creatures known as Dickinsonia that lack basic features of most animals, such as a mouth or gut.

The development of bilateral symmetry was a critical step in the evolution of animal life, giving organisms the ability to move purposefully and a common, yet successful way to organize their bodies. A multitude of animals, from worms to insects to dinosaurs to humans, are organized around this same basic bilaterian body plan.

Evolutionary biologists studying the genetics of modern animals predicted the oldest ancestor of all bilaterians would have been simple and small, with rudimentary sensory organs. Preserving and identifying the fossilized remains of such an animal was thought to be difficult, if not impossible.

For 15 years, scientists agreed that fossilized burrows found in 555 million-year-old Ediacaran Period deposits in Nilpena, South Australia, were made by bilaterians. But there was no sign of the creature that made the burrows, leaving scientists with nothing but speculation.

Scott Evans, a recent doctoral graduate from UC Riverside; and Mary Droser, a professor of geology, noticed miniscule, oval impressions near some of these burrows. With funding from a NASA exobiology grant, they used a three-dimensional laser scanner that revealed the regular, consistent shape of a cylindrical body with a distinct head and tail and faintly grooved musculature. The animal ranged between 2-7 millimeters long and about 1-2.5 millimeters wide, with the largest the size and shape of a grain of rice -- just the right size to have made the burrows.

"We thought these animals should have existed during this interval, but always understood they would be difficult to recognize," Evans said. "Once we had the 3D scans, we knew that we had made an important discovery."

The researchers, who include Ian Hughes of UC San Diego and James Gehling of the South Australia Museum, describe Ikaria wariootia, named to acknowledge the original custodians of the land. The genus name comes from Ikara, which means "meeting place" in the Adnyamathanha language. It's the Adnyamathanha name for a grouping of mountains known in English as Wilpena Pound. The species name comes from Warioota Creek, which runs from the Flinders Ranges to Nilpena Station.

"Burrows of Ikaria occur lower than anything else. It's the oldest fossil we get with this type of complexity," Droser said. "Dickinsonia and other big things were probably evolutionary dead ends. We knew that we also had lots of little things and thought these might have been the early bilaterians that we were looking for."

In spite of its relatively simple shape, Ikaria was complex compared to other fossils from this period. It burrowed in thin layers of well-oxygenated sand on the ocean floor in search of organic matter, indicating rudimentary sensory abilities. The depth and curvature of Ikaria represent clearly distinct front and rear ends, supporting the directed movement found in the burrows.

The burrows also preserve crosswise, "V"-shaped ridges, suggesting Ikaria moved by contracting muscles across its body like a worm, known as peristaltic locomotion. Evidence of sediment displacement in the burrows and signs the organism fed on buried organic matter reveal Ikaria probably had a mouth, anus, and gut.

"This is what evolutionary biologists predicted," Droser said. "It's really exciting that what we have found lines up so neatly with their prediction."

Blessing in the form of TEA in your kitchen.

Dr. Li Wenliang, China's hero doctor who was punished for telling the truth about Corona Virus and later died due to the same disease, had documented casefiles for research purposes and had in the casefiles proposed a cure that would significantly decrease the impact of the COVID - 19 Virus on the human body. The chemical Methylxanthine, Theobromine and Theophylline stimulate compounds that can ward off these virus in a human with atleast an average immune system. Whats more shocking is that these complex words that were so difficult for people in China to understand is actually called Tea in India, YES, our regular Tea has all these chemicals already in it. The main Methylxanthine in tea is the stimulant caffeine. Other Methylxanthines found in tea are two chemically similar compounds, Theobromine and Theophylline. The tea plant creates these chemicals as a way to ward off insects and other animals. Who would have known that all the solution to these virus would be a simple cup of TEA. and that is the reason so many patients in China are being cured. The hospital staff in china has started serving tea to the patients 3 times a day, And the effect is finally in Wuhan "The centre of this Pandemic" has been contained and community transmission has almost stopped.

Cystone (Tablets & Syrup) Benefits, Uses, Dosage & Side Effects

Cystone (Tablets & Syrup) is an ayurvedic proprietary medicine used for kidney stones, which is manufactured by Himalaya Herbal Healthcare (The Himalaya Drug Company). Cystone also provides support in chronic urinary tract infection and prevents recurrence of stone formation in the kidneys.

Medicinal Properties

Cystone has following therapeutic action.

Main Action

• Lithontriptic (lithotriptic) – dissolves stones in the kidneys
• Diuretic
• Anti-lithiatic – Prevents and inhibits stone formation in the kidneys

Secondary Actions

• Anti-microbial property – appears in UTI
• Demulcent
• Anti-inflammatory

• Therapeutic Indications

  1. Kidney stones
  2. Crystalluria (crystals in the urine)
  3. Dysuria
  4. As adjuvant in UTIs
  5. Hyperuricemia (excess of uric acid in the blood)
  6. Burning urination
  7. Non-specific Urethritis (swelling or irritation of the urethra)

  Benefits & Uses

  Due to diuretic, lithotriptic, Antilithiatic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, Cystone helps dissolving, removing and preventing kidney stones and helps in urinary disorders.
• Kidney Stones
  Cystone is commonly used for kidney stones and its prevention. Cystone ingredients act on almost all types of stones, help dissolving the stones, and flush out the stone gravel through the urine.
  Cystone contains several ingredients, which are potent Anti-lithiatic and lithotriptic agents. These ingredients help dissolving the stones and diuretic action of Cystone aids in flushing out the stone crystals through the urine.
  Cystone works well in following types of stones.
  • Calcium oxalate stones
  • Uric acid stones
  • Calcium and phosphate stones
  Cystone syrup can also be used in Pediatric urolithiasis. In children, it is best syrup based preparation available in the market for kidney stones.
  Bladder Stones
  Cystone is also beneficial for dissolving and eliminating urate bladder stones. For the best results, it should be used along with Chandanasava. It also helps clearing stone crystals and gravels.
  Burning micturition & UTI
  Cystone has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. In combination with Chandanasava and Chandanadi Vati, Cystone reduces burning micturition and urinary tract infections.
  Recurrent formation of stones
  In some people, stone formation becomes habitual. They also require following kidney stone diet in addition to the treatment. Cystone along with Chandraprabha Vati helps preventing recurrence of the kidney stones.
  Crystalluria (presence of crystals in urine)
  In addition to stones, some medicines such as sulfonamides, penicillin or Ciprofloxacin can cause Crystalluria.
  Cystone and Chandraprabha Vati combination is best alternative treatment for Crystalluria. One may have to take this combination for several weeks to cure this problem.

  osage

  Cystone is available in syrup and tablets form. Its dosage is as follows.

  Cystone Tablets

  Children	1 tablet twice or thrice a day
  Adults	2 tablets twice or thrice a day

  Cystone Syrup

  Children	1 tsp. twice or thrice a day
  Adults	2 tsp. twice or thrice a day

  
  

  The dosage of Cystone can vary according to health condition and age of the patient, so one should consult a doctor before starting Cystone.

  Safety Profile

  Cystone is considerably safe for most individuals when taken as per its indications in appropriate dosage under professional supervision.

  Side Effects of Cystone

  There are no side effects reported with the use of Cystone tablets or syrup.

Fine-tuning radiocarbon dating could 'rewrite' ancient events

Tree rings

Radiocarbon dating, invented in the late 1940s and improved ever since to provide more precise measurements, is the standard method for determining the dates of artifacts in archaeology and other disciplines.

"If it's organic and old -- up to 50,000 years -- you date it by radiocarbon," said Sturt Manning, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Classical Archaeology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Manning is lead author of a new paper that points out the need for an important new refinement to the technique. The outcomes of his study, published March 18 in Science Advances, have relevance for understanding key dates in Mediterranean history and prehistory, including the tomb of Tutankhamen and a controversial but important volcanic eruption on the Greek island of Santorini.

Radiocarbon dating measures the decomposition of carbon-14, an unstable isotope of carbon created by cosmic radiation and found in all organic matter. Cosmic radiation, however, is not constant at all times. To account for fluctuations of cosmic radiation in the Earth's atmosphere, the radiocarbon content of known-age tree rings was measured backward in time from the 20th century, for thousands of years.

Tree-ring calibrated radiocarbon started to be widely used 50 years ago. A standard calibration curve was introduced in 1986 and is updated every few years as more data are added.

"A single Northern Hemisphere calibration curve has formed the basis of radiocarbon dating in Europe and the Mediterranean for five decades, setting the time frame for prehistory," Manning and co-authors write. "However, as measurement precision increases, there is mounting evidence for some small but substantive regional (partly growing season) offsets in the same-year radiocarbon levels."

In their study, Manning and co-authors question the accuracy of a single calibration curve for all of the Northern Hemisphere. Using data collected by only one lab to control for interlaboratory variation, they compared radiocarbon data from northern Europe (Germany) and from the Mediterranean (central Turkey) in the 2nd and 1st millennia B.C. They found that some small but critical periods of variation for Mediterranean radiocarbon levels exist. Data from two other radiocarbon labs on samples from central Italy and northern Turkey then provided consistency.

Growing seasons play a role, the paper says. The radiocarbon level on Earth varies according to the season; there's a winter low and a summer high, Manning said. The carbon in a tree ring reflects when the tree was photosynthesizing and, therefore, taking carbon out of the atmosphere.

"In northern Europe or in North America, a tree is going to be doing this in April through September. But a tree in Jordan or Israel does that October through April -- almost the opposite time of the year," he said.

These variations, although small, potentially affect calendar dates for prehistory by up to a few decades, the paper concludes.

Even small date offsets -- 50 years or less -- are important for building the timeline of the Mediterranean region, which, in the last two millennia B.C., was a hotbed of interrelated cultures.

The adjusted dates confirm previously awkward timelines, where radiocarbon and history did not seem to agree for some historical landmarks, including the death and burial of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, which is dated around the 1320s to 1310s B.C., according to recent Egyptology.

The study also addresses a debate over the date of a massive volcanic eruption on Santorini. This much-studied event is dated around 1500 B.C. by archaeologists but earlier -- 1630 to 1600 B.C. -- by scientists. Manning said the new findings rule out the date of 1500 B.C., but may also modify the science. A 1630-1600 B.C. date remains possible, but a later date in the range 1600-1550 B.C. now becomes plausible, and even works better with existing archaeological and historical records, including writings from Egypt.

The study also has ramifications for understanding which culture influenced the Minoans and Mycenaeans, which led to ancient Greece.

"Getting the date right will rewrite and get our history correct in terms of what groups were significant in shaping what then became classical civilization," Manning said. "An accurate timeline is key to our history."