Why you crave fried foods

Beijing: Chinese scientists have proposed a new planetary defense strategy to deflect or destroy potentially hazardous asteroids that could collide with Earth. According to the proposed approach, placing a nuclear device inside an asteroid and detonating it could be one of the most effective ways to deal with a major impact threat. According to a report, researchers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology said that large asteroids have always posed a serious threat to human civilization. In the distant past, asteroid impacts caused mass extinctions and triggered devastating environmental changes. The scientists noted that astronomers have discovered several asteroids hundreds of meters wide passing very close to Earth in recent years prompting increased research into new planetary defense methods. The study suggests that a nuclear explosion could be the most effective strategy for either destroying a large asteroid or deflecting it away from Earth particularly when there is very little time to respond. Under the proposed plan, a spacecraft would first create a deep crater on the asteroid. A nuclear device would then be placed inside the crater and detonated to alter the asteroid’s trajectory or break it into smaller pieces. According to the research, a 100-meter-wide asteroid could be completely destroyed by an explosion with a yield equivalent to 200 times the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Similarly, detonating a nuclear device at a depth of 20 meters inside an asteroid about one kilometer wide could change its velocity enough for it to safely miss Earth. The researchers said the study could help pave the way for future planetary defense strategies against large near-Earth asteroids.

Green plants have now made their way to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir who is commanding Expedition 75 aboard the International Space Station has shared pictures of the plants on social media platform X. Jessica Meir said that the Expedition 75 crew has welcomed some new members and they are none other than Russian plants. She explained that the plants include Red Russian kale and wasabi mustard. The crew members are taking care of the plants during their free time. The astronaut explained that the purpose of the experiment is to understand how plants grow in the open cabin environment of the International Space Station compared with their natural environment. The research also aims to examine how storing seeds in orbit affects their viability or ability to successfully grow. Jessica Meir added that having plants aboard the spacecraft feels like a form of “nature therapy.”

In the United States, the growing shift from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes and other nicotine products could potentially lead to a decline in cancer rates in the future. A new study published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum analyzed data from US federal health surveys collected between 2015 and 2023. According to the study, traditional cigarette smoking declined significantly across almost all age groups during this period with the decline being particularly noticeable among people aged 18 to 34. In contrast, the number of people using only alternative nicotine products particularly e-cigarettes, increased. The study’s lead researcher, Professor Kenneth Michael Cummings of the Medical University of South Carolina said the trend suggests that many smokers are completely switching to vaping rather than using both products simultaneously. The study found that the proportion of people who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes remained around 2% to 3% throughout the study period. Scientists also developed a Population Harm Reduction Index to compare traditional cigarette smoking with the use of non-combustible nicotine products. According to the researchers, an increase in the index indicates that more people are using alternatives to traditional cigarettes that may expose them to lower levels of potentially cancer-causing chemicals. The study found that people aged 55 and above were much less likely than younger people to quit smoking and switch to alternative products even though older adults could gain significant immediate health benefits from quitting smoking. According to the study, vaping has now become more common than cigarette smoking among young people aged 18 to 24. Professor Cummings said the greatest concern is that older people who have smoked for many years are not switching to lower-risk, non-combustible nicotine products as quickly. This is the group that could potentially gain the greatest immediate health benefits from quitting smoking. According to the report, the study was funded by the US National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while the vaping industry provided no financial support.