• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

NEWS TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2016 Scientists discover ‘habitable’ planets Continued from Page 1 determine if they harbour life “within our generation”. Up to now, the search for Earth-like orbs in our Galaxy and exoplanets - planets revolving around stars outside our beyond centred on stars like our Sun, more massive and solar system. The innermost two circle their dwarf star every hotter than the dwarf around which the newly-discovered 1.5 and 2.4 days, though they are hit with only four and two worlds orbit. But the discovery suggests that a significant times the amount of heat-generating radiation that Earth fraction of ultracool dwarfs hold potentially habitable plan- receives from the Sun. ets in their gravitational sway. “At the scale of the Galaxy, The more distant orbit of the third planet takes between this means billions of additional places where life might four and 73 days, according to the study. “So far, the existence have developed,” Gillon said. of such ‘red worlds’ orbiting ultra-cool dwarf stars was purely The mass of the three planets circling TRAPPIST-1 cannot theoretical, but now we have not just one lonely planet but be less than 50 percent of that of Earth, and are probably not three,” said co-author Emmanuel Jehin, also from the more than double, he added. “They could be richer or poorer University of Liege. He called the discovery a “paradigm shift” in water and rocks than our planet, and if they have an in the search for life elsewhere in the universe. Given their atmosphere, it is probably very different than ours.” To give size and proximity to their low-intensity star, all three planets rise to life as we know it, planets have to be in a “Goldilocks may have regions at temperatures within a range suitable for zone” in relation to their star, far enough away so that its heat sustaining liquid water and life, the study concluded. doesn’t evaporate all the water, but close enough so that it Their proximity to Earth means scientists will be able to can exist in liquid form. find out a lot more. “These planets are so close, and their star Building and using the TRAPPIST infrared telescope to so small, we can study their atmosphere and composition,” hunt for planets was a risky strategy. “It’s not looking at said co-author Julien de Wit, a postdoc at the Massachusetts 100,000 stars at a time, like the Kepler Space Telescope,” de Institute of Technology (MIT.) “This is a jackpot for the field,” Wit said. “It is few of them that you’re spending time on, one he said in a statement, adding that it should be possible to at a time. And one paid off,” he added. — AFP The Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is seen in Jerusalem’s Old City yesterday. — AP Australian Craig Wright says he created... Binladin Group lays off 77,000 workers Continued from Page 1 said. “In the real world a DNA test would sort the matter Continued from Page 1 paid” within two weeks. Saudi Binladin Group was out quickly. In the confusing world of Bitcoin... things are founded more than 80 years ago by the father of Al- Bitcoin is a technically sophisticated currency based on not that simple.” The claim also drew skepticism from On Friday, Al-Watan reported that 50,000 of the group’s Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, killed five years ago by the same underlying mathematics as governments and some members of the tech community on online forums staff were refusing to leave the country while their salaries US Navy Seals. It developed landmarks including the militaries use to encrypt codes. Unlike traditional curren- like Reddit. remained unpaid after more than four months. Another domed Faisaliah Tower in central Riyadh and the Makkah cies such as the dollar or the euro, which require the spon- In a statement, Wright said he was going public newspaper, Arab News, on Sunday cited Saudi Binladin Royal Clock Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings. sorship of a central bank, Bitcoin is decentralized. because he wanted to “dispel any negative myths” about Group employees as confirming “massive layoffs”. An Arab After decades of thriving on lucrative government Digital coins are created by supercomputers and then Bitcoin. “I cannot allow the misinformation that has been News report yesterday blamed “unpaid workers” for torch- contracts, the company faced unprecedented scrutiny traded online or exchanged for goods and services by a spread to impact the future of Bitcoin,” he said. “I’m now ing several Binladin Group buses in Makkah over the after one of its cranes working on a major expansion of peer-to-peer network of computers connected to the able to build on what I have previously completed by weekend. Authorities confirmed seven buses were the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam’s holiest site, top- Internet. Despite some early notoriety over its use by drug releasing my research and academic work and help people burned but did not give the cause. pled in September. At least 109 people including foreign dealers on the dark web, the system has grown beyond its understand just how powerful this can really be.” Egyptians account for a large percentage of Binladin pilgrims died, leading King Salman to suspend the firm radical libertarian roots and is being taken increasingly Jon Matonis, founding director of the Bitcoin Group employees. Some complained to Egypt’s labor from new public contracts. This has been a factor in the seriously by the financial establishment. Billions of dollars Foundation, wrote on his blog yesterday that it was his ministry that their salaries had not been paid for three firm’s economic difficulties, a well-informed source said. worth of Bitcoins are now in circulation. “firm belief” that Wright had invented Bitcoin. He said he months, the Arab News reported in March. A well- Two Gulf banking industry sources, declining to be Wright had presented proof that only the true creator of had seen complex cryptographic, social and technical evi- informed source told AFP in March that “because of named because of commercial sensitivities, said it was Bitcoin could have provided, the BBC said. It posted a dence. “According to me, the proof is conclusive and I have delays in payments from the government administra- believed to owe local and international banks a total of video of him demonstrating the signing of a message with no doubt that Craig Steven Wright is the person behind tion, several companies today have problems... paying about $30 billion. Bankers said the company had been the public key associated with the first transaction ever the Bitcoin technology, Nakamoto consensus, and the both their employees and producers”. meeting with banks to reassure them that its loans done on Bitcoin following its 2009 launch. These keys had Satoshi Nakamoto name,” Matonis wrote. Minister of State Mohammad bin Abdulmalik Al- would be repaid, and that it had brought in outside to be created by Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym used Wright was identified as the possible creator of Bitcoin Sheikh told Bloomberg News in an interview published experts, including foreigners, to beef up its project man- at the time by the currency’s creator, the broadcaster said. in December by technology publications Wired and April 4 “that all or 95 to 98 percent of all arrears will be agement and budgeting skills. — Agencies But The Economist was more skeptical, saying there Gizmodo, shortly before his home in Sydney was reported- were still a number of steps to go through in order to verify ly raided in a tax probe. Little biographical detail is known the claim and “important questions remain”. “Imagine that about Wright, who describes himself as a cyber-security Iran criticizes US presence in Gulf the paternity of a particularly brilliant child is in doubt, and expert and was born in Brisbane but, according to The someone steps forward to claim he is the father,” its article Economist, has now moved to London. — AFP Continued from Page 1 warned but the consumption patterns have not been amended. The nouveau-riche kids with those cars in the Champions Leicester turn tables on elite Khamenei also reiterated his criticism about the con- streets are there for this reason, he said. Khamenei has spicuous spending habits of Iran’s increasingly promi- the final say on all state matters in Iran. Despite last Continued from Page 1 ment Steve Walsh. “The most important thing, and what nent wealthy upper class, saying the government need- summer’s landmark deal between Iran and the world he deserves the most credit for, is he hasn’t come in and ed to regulate consumption patterns. Critics have powers, he has remained publicly suspicious of Western His centre-back partner Wes Morgan, the captain, did tried to change everything,” said Schmeichel during the drawn attention to the wave of new luxury cars present intentions toward Iran and the influence of Western cul- not play top-level football until he was 30. Winger Marc season. With new signings Huth, Christian Fuchs, Shinji in Tehran and other major cities. “I have many times ture and values. — AP Albrighton was released by his formative club Aston Villa Okazaki and French midfield monster N’Golo Kante in 2014. His season began amid personal tragedy, after carefully added to the blend, Ranieri ditched the back Freedoms make austerity campaign tricky... his partner’s mother was killed in the terror attack in three used by Pearson for a 4-4-2 system.

Load more

  1

Copy Link