🌞 Polaris Dawn Makes History

Daily Upsider - Friday, September 13th

Friday, September 13th, 2024

Good Morning! 🌞

Here are some interesting facts about Friday the 13th:

1. Fear of Friday the 13th Has a Name:

• The fear of Friday the 13th is called “paraskevidekatriaphobia” (from Greek words “paraskeví” meaning Friday, “dekatria” meaning thirteen, and “phobia” meaning fear). It is a specific form of triskaidekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13 in general.

2. Friday the 13th is Historically Linked to Religious Events:

• Some believe that the superstition around Friday the 13th originated from religious events. For example, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and the Last Supper had 13 guests (including Judas, who betrayed him). This has helped cement the notion of 13 as an unlucky number, especially when paired with Friday.

3. The Knights Templar and Friday the 13th:

• One popular theory ties Friday the 13th to the Knights Templar. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of hundreds of Templars, leading to their eventual downfall. Many believe this tragic event contributed to the unlucky reputation of the date.

4. Friday the 13th May Have Origins in Norse Mythology:

• In Norse mythology, there’s a story about 12 gods having a banquet in Valhalla. Loki, the trickster god, crashed the party as the 13th guest, leading to chaos and ultimately to the death of the beloved god Balder. This story may have contributed to the negative connotations around the number 13.

Today’s Upside

Space

Polaris Dawn Makes History: First Private Astronauts Take a Spacewalk

Polaris Dawn has once again made history. On Thursday, Sept. 12, SpaceX’s private crew of four astronauts completed the world’s first commercial spacewalk, orbiting high above Earth. The event marked the third day of their five-day mission in Earth’s orbit.

"SpaceX, back at home we have a lot of work to do, but from here it looks like a perfect world," remarked Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman, the American billionaire who financed the mission, as he gazed at Earth while standing outside the Dragon hatch.

The four astronauts — Isaacman, pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and SpaceX mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon — were launched into orbit on Sept. 10 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s historic Launch Complex-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, the same site that launched Apollo 11. The mission’s Crew Dragon spacecraft capsule was heavily modified for this spacewalk. A specially designed "Skywalker" hatch, replacing Dragon’s usual ISS docking port, allowed the crew to exit the capsule.

Fifteen hours into the mission, the crew achieved their first milestone, reaching an altitude of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers), the highest a crewed spacecraft has flown since the Apollo era. After setting the altitude record, the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft lowered to 458 miles (737 km) at its highest point. Once there, the spacecraft was depressurized, and Isaacman and Sarah Gillis each took turns exiting into the vacuum of space.

The spacewalk, which began at 6:12 a.m. EDT, was nearly four hours later than planned and lasted one hour and 46 minutes. During the EVA (extravehicular activity), both astronauts conducted spacesuit mobility tests while SpaceX streamed live footage of them standing with most of their bodies outside the spacecraft. The Polaris Dawn crew, consisted of Isaacman, Gillis, Menon, and Poteet (a former U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel). The team donned SpaceX’s new EVA suits, engineered to be lightweight and flexible while providing robust protection in the harsh space environment. One engineer described it as "a suit of armor made of fabric."

One of the mission’s primary objectives was to test these suits, which SpaceX envisions for future missions in Earth’s orbit and beyond. SpaceX has once again managed to push space-faring to a new high. First with their privately developed Falcon 9, which has revolutionized the launch industry by demonstrating rapid reusability. Being capable to launch more than 100 times this year, something no government or company has ever done before. Now with the first private space walk, using the Crew Dragon capsule and their own SpaceX EVA suits. I am excited to see what is next!

Health Sciences

Drugs to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

The seas off Svalbard, viewed from the research vessel Kronprins Haakon – credit SWNS

Finnish scientists have identified potential antibiotic candidates from microbes found beneath the Arctic Ocean seafloor.

Currently, 70% of licensed antibiotics come from actinobacteria in the soil, but many environments remain unexplored. Researchers believe that focusing on actinobacteria in other habitats could yield new molecules, particularly those that reduce bacteria's ability to cause disease rather than kill them outright or stop their growth. Such compounds could make it harder for bacteria to develop resistance and might cause fewer side effects.

The team tested compounds from four actinobacteria species found in invertebrates in the Arctic Sea. They discovered two unknown compounds with strong antivirulence or antibacterial properties: one from strain T091-5 and another from strain T160-2, found in the genus Kocuria. T091-5 was particularly promising, as it slowed the growth of EPEC and reduced the likelihood of resistance.

The discovery of new antibiotics has slowed in recent decades, but expanding research to include antivirulence agents could significantly increase the pool of potential candidates.

Environment

Underwater Mountain

The Casper octopus – credit, Schmidt Ocean Institute, released

A recent scientific expedition 900 miles off the coast of Chile, deep in the Pacific Ocean, has uncovered several underwater discoveries.

Oceanographers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute explored multiple seamounts—underwater mountains—and identified what may be 20 new species, including a ghostly octopus and a sea urchin. They also captured rare images of a squid and a creature resembling the "flying spaghetti monster," all found around a seamount taller than Mount Olympus.

The seamount, part of the Nazca Ridge, rises more than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) from the seafloor. The research team aboard the vessel Falkor (too) also observed a blue and white octopus, which they nicknamed the ‘Casper octopus.’

Additionally, the team recorded the first footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, a small, weakly muscled species previously known only from a few specimens. They also photographed the rarely seen Bathyphysa conifera, nicknamed the "flying spaghetti monster" due to its resemblance to the internet creation.

The expedition contributes to the Ocean Census, an ambitious global initiative aiming to discover 100,000 new species within the next decade, highlighting the vast biodiversity beneath the ocean's surface.

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A bus driver goes the wrong way down a one-way street. He passes the cops, but they don’t stop him. Why? -He was walking! 😆 

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