In a brilliant development, scientists have discerned the origins of a fast radio burst borne from the magnetic surroundings of a dead neutron star. Its sighting can be traced to a curved glint of light originating from a faraway galaxy. New research from a study in Nature on this luminous phenomenon has issued an updated perspective on fast radio bursts short-lived explosions of radio waves that release an abundance of energy.Fast Radio Burst 20221022AA fast radio burst (FRB), thought to stem from compact astronomical objects like neutron stars (a supergiant star left behind from a supernova) and potentially black holes, produces a scintillation that has continuously caught the eyes of astrophysicists. The gleam of light, although only lasting for a thousandth of a second, is powerful enough to outshine an entire galaxy.Researchers have been keen on solving the mysteries behind the creation of FRBs since their initial discovery in 2007, and they have recently cornered one in particular that yielded exciting results. A team of astronomers at MIT released the study that points to FRB 20221022A, a previously discovered FRB from a galaxy about 200 million light-years away.This FRB is so special because its distinctive foundation presents a new look at how these outbursts of energy form.The Debate Over FRB LocationFor years, questions have loomed over the specific forces behind FRBs and where they materialize. Scientists have wanted to know if FRBs are primarily formed close to a source or far away from a source. The new study seems to move the needle in a certain direction.The research team that analyzed FRB 20221022A has claimed it originated close in proximity to its source, having arisen around 10,000 kilometers away from a rotating neutron star. The birthplace of the FRB, they assert, was likely in the neutron stars magnetosphere a magnetized region surrounding an astronomical object. Previously, skepticism surrounded the possibility of a radio burst escaping the intense environment of a magnetar, a neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. The case of FRB 20221022A deviates from one previous model suggesting that FRBs instead occur as part of shockwaves that are pushed out further from a compact astronomical object.To collect more evidence on the unresolved origins of FRBs and confirm whether they form close to objects like neutron stars or far away from them the researchers turned to the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), a radio telescope in British Columbia containing four half-pipe shaped reflectors. By receiving radio waves from hydrogen in space, CHIME has picked up thousands of FRBs across the universe.The Meaning of Scintillation The whereabouts of FRBs have been considered through their scintillation an effect wherein light filters through some medium like gas within a galaxy. When starlight passes through gas, for example, it bends in ways that make it appear as if a star is twinkling in the night sky.The researchers applied measurements of scintillation to determine the relative size of the region from where the FRB appeared. They claim that a smaller region would correlate with the burst occurring closer to the source (and likely within a neutron stars magnetosphere), and a larger region would correlate with the burst occurring far away from the source.This is when FRB 20221022A, first detected in 2022 by CHIME, came into the picture. Although its brightness was standard, another research team from McGill University noticed that it possessed one significant trait: the light from the burst was highly polarized, and the angle of polarization generated an S-shaped curve. This means that the FRB emission site is rotating, which usually happens in pulsars (rapidly rotating, magnetized neutron stars).Getting a Close-up of an FRBThe unique pattern of polarization suggests that the signal from the FRB may have originated close to a neutron star.Using this knowledge as a springboard, the MIT researchers worked to prove the close proximity of the FRB to its source. Analyzing data from CHIME, they found that gas from the FRBs host galaxy was filtering the radio waves and causing them to bend. The gas, prompting some of the scintillation, allowed the researchers to zoom in on the FRB site and confirm that the burst came from a very small region, estimated to be about 10,000 kilometers wide.The results from the new study, along with the additional findings from the McGill team, show for the first time that FRBs can emerge close to a neutron stars turbulent magnetosphere. Given that CHIME collects evidence of multiple FRBs daily, there are plenty more opportunities to uncover the origins of different bursts in the universe. Going forward, evaluating scintillation will become a vital method as researchers continue to seek answers on the creation of FRBs.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:NASA. Neutron Stars Are Weird!Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.

Health officials have reported a rise in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections among children ages 14 and under in China, but the exact magnitude of this uptick is unclear.

A 1,100-pound metal ring from a rocket smashed in to a Kenyan village, where it startled residents and flattened trees

Windows that can be darkened at the touch of a button are already reducing the need for aircon.

I saw a post today in this community and tried to recreate it. Just a Plane with basic glass material and a bit of noise in post processing. Link to the inspiration post https://www.reddit.com/r/blender/s/m2VSXnZ0Pi submitted by /u/pixelbuz [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/3DSinghVFX [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/CMDRKatieByrne [link] [comments]

Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play 6v6 hero shooter, features a pretty wide roster of Marvel characters to play as. While the selection of Strategists, the support heroes focused on healing and buffing teammates, is fairly slight at only seven heroes now, Marvel Rivals will be getting lots of new heroes in the future. These heroes are ranked based on the range of usability for their abilities, potential healing output, and general benefits they bring to the game when used. While our Marvel Rivals support heroes tier list is ranked,, there really aren't any characters on the roster that are completely unplayable due to balancing in the game's current state. 7. Rocket RaccoonRocket Raccoon has a few positive aspects to him, but fairly low healing and damage output keeps him at the bottom of the list. His respawn machine can be pretty clutch, bringing back a teammate who dies in range, but the shields it produces feel odd, since you want to hide it out of sight so it doesn't get destroyed. Rocket having a small hit box also lets him escape danger easier than other supports.That said, Rocket's healing orbs move pretty slowly and can also bounce unpredictably, making healing with them at range harder than it needs to be. His machine gun damage is pretty low too, making it hard to defend yourself, something that most other supports are better at. Rocket Raccoon's ultimate provides a nice damage buff, but the stationary aspect makes it a bit more situational than other support ultimates. 6. Jeff the Land SharkJeff the Land Shark is the cutest Strategist on the roster, but his simple abilities hold him back from being higher on the list. The water spray healing has far better accuracy at a distance than it should, but the healing rate is a little low, resulting in you spending a lot of time spraying down a single teammate. The healing bubbles are great and offer a nice movement buff, but a long cooldown on the charges means you are constantly at risk of dropping them somewhere, having the fight move, and being caught waiting on cooldown timers.Jeff has three things going in his favor though: His water splash shots deal pretty good damage, making it possible to defend yourself from any overachieving Duelists. Jeff's submerge ability allows for a speedy escape, self-healing, and a smaller hitbox without a cooldown. Finally, Jeff's ultimate, even if you can't get to a ledge for the insta-kill, still lets you remove enemy players--potentially even a full team--from the fight temporarily, which is a huge advantage. 5. LokiThere is a lot to like about Loki, but the ability management aspect requires a lot of knowledge and skill to successfully pull off without a big enough payoff. Loki can heal by shooting teammates with his staff, and he can also place decoys around, which will also shoot. His other healing ability creates a field around him and his decoys, offering a ton of healing temporarily. Loki can switch places with his decoys, letting him get out of danger and he can even make a decoy while going invisible.The management here is a bit of a pain, as it involves regularly placing new decoys and keeping track of which ones have been taken out. This is time not spent doing damage or healing, and is pretty overwhelming for new players. In terms of healing, he doesn't offer as much as the upper half of this list and certainly requires more skill than those heroes. HIs ultimate is pretty great, letting him switch into another hero in the lobby and immediately use their ultimate, but you need to see that hero to make the swap, making it a bit more situational than it could've been. 4. Cloak and DaggerCloak and Dagger are a ton of fun to play and offer a wide range of abilities, making them an excellent support to use. Dagger handles healing, throwing auto-tracking daggers that can heal or do damage, depending on who you hit. The healing and damage is fairly low, but you can use her Veil of Lightforce to grant bonus healing effects and her AoE healing ability creates a nice bubble that heals a ton.Cloak is focused on dealing damage and applying debuffs to enemies. His Terror Cape limits enemy vision and makes them take more damage. His main attack is a beam that deals quick tick damage, offering slightly more damage than Cloak's main attack. His dark teleportation makes him and nearby teammates invisible, but it's pretty short and really only gives you a brief moment of safety. Their ultimate places darkness on the map that heals teammates and damages enemies, making it great for contesting an objective. Cloak and Dagger's main shortcoming is that you have to swap between them to either heal or deal damage, when some of the best Strategists can do both at all times. 3. Adam WarlockAdam Warlock has pretty good healing capabilities, deals a surprising amount of damage, and can revive the whole team with his ultimate. To start, his main attack deals 55 damage and can crit, which is pretty good for a Strategist, even if it has a short damage fall off range. For healing, he does have to rely on his abilities, but he has two and both do a ton of healing. The big one is the Soul Bond, which connects Adam Warlock and all nearby teammates, providing healing over time and splitting damage taken.His other healing ability is a link to a single teammate, but it provides healing for both Adam Warlock and his ally. It has two charges on a six-second cooldown, so it can be used pretty regularly. Adam's passive cocoon ability lets him revive after death, which is a great setup for his ultimate ability, which resurrects all dead teammates in range. It also lasts an additional 10 seconds, letting any teammates who weren't dead but die after activation to also get resurrected. 2. Luna SnowLuna Snow has a powerful primary attack that heals and does damage depending on who you hit. The three round-burst heals 60 total health or deals 60 total damage, and that's without hitting a headshot. Her Ice Arts buff increases the amount of healing or damage those shots do while providing some self-healing on each shot, giving her some nice sustainability. She can freeze enemies temporarily, great for any diving enemies, and her skating passive gives her an advantageous--dare we say Lucio-like--movement speed and jump height boost.Luna Snow's greatest asset is her ultimate ability, which has her dance, creating an AoE around her that can either heal or provide a damage buff, letting you swap freely. The healing output is ridiculous, making both Luna and her teammates invulnerable to anything except the most powerful attacks in the game, and the damage buff is nothing to sneeze at either. 1. MantisMantis takes the top spot due to her incredibly high skill ceiling. She can give either a healing-over-time or damage buff to a teammate at the cost of one of her four orbs. She can also give a self-boost at the cost of a single orb, and using an orb applies self-healing. This might sound limiting, but the orbs are on a short cooldown and you can instantly refill a charge by hitting a headshot with her primary fire, which deals 50 base damage and has no fall-off range.This means you will always have orbs if you consistently hit headshots. Always having orbs means you can constantly have your self-buff active and apply buffs to your teammates consistently, making Mantis very powerful in the right hands. Her ultimate is a slightly weaker version of Luna Snow's, applying healing over time and a movement speed boost, with extra healing converted into bonus health. As if all that wasn't enough, she also moves faster at full health, making the walk back from spawn a little quicker, so you can get back to healing.

A designer on The Rise of the Golden Idol has announced his own game, City of Voices. The game is a collaboration between his own studio, Kimi Games, and pixel artist Matt Frith. It's billed as a "Rise of the Golden Idol-like."According to the game's Steam page, it follows a young girl in England who gets bullied at school. City of Voices starts as a typical slice-of-life adventure before transforming into something more fantastical. Like in The Rise of the Golden Idol, players will have to investigate clues that are stuck frozen in time in order to put together the events that have taken place. Designer Will Ackermann said that he already spoke to the other developers on The Rise of the Golden Idol, Andrejs and Ernests Kavi. Ackermann got the green light from them to implement similar deduction gameplay mechanics found in the game for City of Voices.Continue Reading at GameSpot

It's a big day for Call of Duty, as the new Squid Game collaboration launches today, January 3, alongside a significant update across Black Ops 6 and Warzone. Activision has now posted the full patch notes, revealing all the significant changes and updates--and there are many.Across Black Ops 6, Zombies, and Warzone, all mantle speeds have been increased, while doors can now be opened and close while sprinting. Additionally, the Cleaver melee weapon is now available to unlock through the new Squid Game event reward in the new event pass, which costs 1,100 COD Points for the premium track. Additionally, Activision warned that some players might see their Operator selections and customizations reset with the new update. Activision didn't say why this is occurring or what players can do about it beyond just starting over.Continue Reading at GameSpot