iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Small and large planets have significantly different upbringings

But we are only going to continue to uncover the mysteries of other planets if we continue to fund NASA!!! Congrats to lead author @gjgilbert.bsky.social on the discovery! Direct any questions to him! Check out the press release and paper here: newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ecc...

newsroom.ucla.edu

Giant exoplanets with elliptical orbits and smaller planets with nearly circular orbits formed along different pathways.

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However, in the coming years there are a number of observatories slated to go online (Roman Space Telescope, Habitable Worlds Observatory) that will help fill out the census of known planets extending to orbital distances more comparable to the planets in our own solar system!

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2) Most of the planets Kepler has observed have orbits under ~100 days. That’s inside the orbit of Mercury! Yes, most of the planets we know of in the galaxy are way closer to their stars than anything in our solar system, so its not an apples to apples comparison when it comes to our solar system

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1) everything we have talked about is based on population average, meaning that there will be gas giants with circular orbits and rocky planets with elliptical orbits in the same way that there are some shorter men and taller women, but, on average, men are taller than women

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So now that we know that large planets have more elliptical (aka eccentric) orbits, how do we explain our solar system, in which that does not seem to be the case?  A couple things to keep in mind ⬇️

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Those extremely large planets with all that gravity start to wreak havoc and chaos which sets them on more elliptical orbits. Where as smaller planets remain on more calm, circular orbits  Small planets are modest hobbits, Large planets are wild ogres

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The largest planets have strong enough gravity to start pulling in hydrogen and helium gas which is by far the most abundant material around, allowing them to become behemoths

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We generally know how planets form. Dust particles stick together until they become pebbles, pebbles stick together until they become boulders, boulder become mountains, and mountains become planets, you get the idea

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This plot from the paper perfectly describes the situation. Large planets are rare, orbit stars with lots of metals, and have more elliptical orbits. This transition happens consistently at just under 4 Earth radii  This suggests planets above and below this size form differently!

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New analysis of planet demographics show a clear difference in orbit shape for small & large planets. These gas giants tend to form around stars made of heavy metals. This should make sense because more heavy metals means more building blocks for planets 🤔

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Another thing to keep in mind is that Giant planets are actually quite rare, about 10x less common than small planets

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Remember that Planets orbit their stars in ellipses not circles This important discovery by Johannes Kepler proved that the Sun and NOT the earth was not the center of the solar system

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A longstanding question in planet formation—Why is Earth Earth, and Jupiter, Jupiter?  It’s not just their sizes, we can also learn a lot about planets by studying the shapes of their orbits!

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

🚨Breaking exoplanet discovery🚨UCLA astronomers uncover that Gas giants form via distinctly different pathways from smaller planets 🧵

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Everything negative they tried to say about Caitlin Clark was wrong. Phenomenal athlete obviously but very strong character and maturity as well. Every time they put a mic in front of her she demonstrates humility, poise, wisdom, leadership, empathy etc.

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Periodic reminder that a scientific ‘theory’: - makes specific, testable predictions - can be proven wrong by evidence - has survived repeated testing A theory isn't just an idea or hypothesis! It's a well tested explanation of how something works

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

The crazy thing about doing a PhD is that when you catch up with somebody you haven’t seen in a while they always ask if you’ve graduated “yet” 🫠 No actually please excuse me while I jump off the nearest ledge

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Biology enables, culture forbids

Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Just set my dissertation defense date! A decade ago, I was working nights unloading planes so I could take algebra at community college, chasing a wild dream of becoming an astrophysicist. Now I’m months away from earning a PhD! Dreams don’t have deadlines. Never quit on yourself 🫶🏽

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That’s the goal right. If there are any advanced species in the universe that stand the test of time I suspect the true hurdle to overcome is tipping that scale for good

I’m being playful with the man cold reference (I really get pushed to the brink with mine 😭), but research moves the needle forward. If medical science factors in these immune differences, it’s a win for everyone and a step toward better health care for all

Recognizing that men and women have different immune profiles is crucial for improving healthcare. Understanding these differences can guide doctors toward better diagnostic tools and treatments

Autoimmune disorders are notoriously tough to diagnose and treat. Unlike infections caused by outside invaders, autoimmune diseases involve your own immune system attacking healthy cells. This complexity has likely led to many women’s symptoms being misunderstood or completely overlooked

But this stronger immune response comes with a trade-off! Evolution ALWAYS has trade-offs. Those same NK cells and other immune defenses increase the risk of the body turning against itself, resulting in higher rates of autoimmune diseases among women

You could think of evolutionary reasons stronger immune system responses in women would be favorable. Staying healthy before during and after childbirth for example which is a vulnerable and dangerous time. Whatever the reason, at the population level this seems to be true

On the flip side, women generally have more aggressive immune systems. One reason? They often have more active natural killer (NK) immune cells which specialize in identifying and eliminating infected or abnormal cells. This helps women fend off many illnesses more effectively!

Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Ever heard of a “man cold”? This the idea that men exaggerate their symptoms when they get sick? Turns out there might actually be some science behind it. Recent research suggests men’s immune responses may be weaker, leading to more frequent, often more intense infections

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Innovation, altruism, community building, and justice seeking, alongside war, environmental decimation, extinctions, and flagrant injustice. It’s such a compelling case for the complexity and predictability of ‘human nature’

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Something that becomes clear when learning history and anthropology is a remarkable consistency in human behavior over time. As far back as there is evidence of human activity, there is evidence of humans doing the best and worst imaginable

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Yea Ceres is interesting. It’s possible that both Ceres and Mars could have been much bigger but the leading theory currently (Grand Tack Model) is that Jupiter had migrated in early on in the Solar System and eaten up lots of material that may otherwise have gone to those bodies!

Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

There’s not enough material in the asteroid belt! All the matter in the asteroid belt (including Ceres) only adds up to ~5% of the Moon’s mass. Even if it was all stuffed onto Ceres it wouldn’t be massive enough to dominate the orbit through its gravity

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Dakotah Tyler @dtstarkid.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I embrace being both a scientific realist and an unshakeable optimist Seeing things as they truly are is the first step toward envisioning what they could become. It’s not easy, but it is simple

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Follow me for more no-nonsense** science content! **maybe a little nonsense, but definitely no BS! 😉

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Takeaway: Photons don’t have physical shapes. They’re quantum particles described by probabilities, not physical boundaries

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But why is this research important? Mapping the probability distribution of photons in this way gives us a better understanding of how light interacts with specific matter, which is a critical aspect of quantum physics. This research could have beneficial implications for tech development!

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Furthermore, it’s not even possible to ‘capture an image’ of a photon because photons don’t interact with each other. It’s literally physically impossible!

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It’s not a ‘photo’ in the traditional sense and not a shape in the classical sense. It’s is the visualization of a probability distribution—a wavefunction

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What you’re seeing in the viral image is actually an artistic interpretation of a figure from the actual research paper The figure shows the probability intensity distribution of these pseudomodes—basically, where the photon is most likely to be found under specific conditions

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This research models the behavior of photons using quantum pseudomodes. These pseudomodes are just mathematical tools that describe how energy flows in quantum systems

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Photons are quantum particles of light that don’t have internal structure or a physical shape like a ball or atom. The image you’ve seen is NOT the “shape” of a photon. It’s actually a visualization of probability distributions

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No, scientists didn’t discover the “shape” of a photon. The research behind this image is fascinating and important, but this viral claim is misleading. Let’s clear it up:

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Well, mapping the probability distribution of photons in this way gives us a better understanding of how light interacts with matter, which is a critical aspect of quantum physics. This research is a huge step forward in refining quantum models!

It’s not a ‘photo’ or even a ‘shape’. It’s is a visualization of probability But why is this important?

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This research models the behavior of photons using ‘quantum pseudomodes’. These pseudomodes are just mathematical tools that describe how energy flows in quantum systems