Science News-Fat Shaming in the Doctor’s Office Can Be Mentally and Physically Harmful

Authentic news,No fake news.

Medical News Fat Shaming in the Doctor’s Office Can Be Mentally and Physically Harmful Health care providers may offer weight loss advice in place of medical treatment, researchers say. – American Psychological Association (APA) 25th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association Embargo expired on 03-Aug-2017 at 09:00 ET Scientists Create Stem Cell Therapy for Lung Fibrosis Conditions Researchers from UNC and NC State are developing a potential stem cell treatment for several lung conditions, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis – often-fatal conditions th... – University of North Carolina Health Care System Stem Cells Translational Medicine Embargo expired on 03-Aug-2017 at 08:00 ET Discovery Points to Drugs That Would ‘Short-Circuit’ Deadly Leukemia St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have found that cells of a deadly acute myeloid leukemia can be killed by blocking production of a molecular “battery.” – St. Jude Children's Research Hospital JCI Insight, August 2017; CA194057; CA21745 Embargo expired on 03-Aug-2017 at 07:00 ET New Hope to Prevent Dangerous Blood Clots Found in the Legs Common anti-allergy medicines could prove to be an effective treatment for potentially fatal blood clots in the legs, according to new research by the University of Birmingham. – University of Birmingham Circulation Research Embargo expired on 03-Aug-2017 at 05:05 ET New Method May Help Predict Risk of Bleeding After Stroke A new scoring method may help predict who is at high risk of serious bleeding after a stroke, according to a study published in the August 2, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. – American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Neurology® Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 16:00 ET Comprehensive Sequencing Program Shows Promise of Precision Medicine for Advanced Cancer A new study shows just how complex metastatic cancer is and offers some clues to attacking it. The study represents one of the largest and most comprehensive efforts to examine the genetic and molecular landscape of advanced cancer. – Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan Nature; 1UM1HG006508; CA214170 ; CA186786 Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 13:00 ET Study Adds to Evidence That Most Prescribed Opioid Pills Go Unused In a review of half a dozen published studies in which patients self-reported use of opioids prescribed to them after surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a substantial majority of patients used only some or none of the pills, and more t... – Johns Hopkins Medicine JAMA Surgery Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 11:00 ET UCLA study offers roadmap to personalized therapies for sarcoma and other aggressive cancers Sarcoma is a rare and deadly form of cancer occurring in the bones and connective tissue that affects individuals of all ages. Its aggressiveness, rarity and diversity continue to hinder efforts to identify effective therapies for people with this ma... – University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences JCO Precision Oncology Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 16:00 ET Scientists Deliver Knock-Out Blow to Multiple Cancers Targeting healthy cells that have been hijacked by cancer cells could help treat many different types of the disease, according to research by scientists at the University of Southampton. – University of Southampton Journal of the National Cancer Institute Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 20:00 ET Dr. Laureen Hill Named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center NewYork-Presbyterian has named Dr. Laureen Hill senior vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, effective the end of October. – New York-Presbyterian Hospital Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 10:00 ET World Governments Make Citizens Pay Billions to Destroy Their Own Health The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has launched the report Hidden Price Tags: How ending fossil fuel subsidies would benefit our health providing the first-ever comparison of fossil fuel subsidies and the costs to health associated with air p... – Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) Steady Cortisol Levels From Morning to Night Signal Poor Health Outcomes A lack of variation in the stress hormone cortisol from morning to evening is tied to a wide range of negative health conditions, including inflammation and immune system dysfunction, new Northwestern University research suggests. – Northwestern University Pros and Cons: Free Dental Care in Exchange for Community Service The majority of low-income Michigan residents and dentists who participated in a program that provided free dental care in exchange for volunteer work said they liked it, and most patients felt their oral health had improved. – University of Michigan Navajo Nation, NAU Researchers Study Implementation of Groundbreaking ‘Unhealthy Food’ Tax By Kerry Bennett Office of the Vice President for ResearchHigh rates of overweight and obesity—as well as related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes—are serious public health concerns for the Navajo Nation. With more than 300,000 enrolled members i... – Northern Arizona University New Research Identifies Molecules That Could Help to Prevent the Development of Brain Tumours Researchers from the University of Portsmouth’s Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence have identified molecules which are responsible for metastatic lung cancer cells binding to blood vessels in the brain. – University of Portsmouth International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2017, 18(7), 1474; IFT17 Draws Over 19,000 Registrants IFT17: Go With Purpose, hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) held at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas highlighted the hottest food trends, the latest food products, and the most important developments in the science of food. More tha... – Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Institute of Food Technologists Announces 2017 IFTSA Competition Winners The Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) today named more than 20 student groups from around the world as winners of the 2017 IFTSA competitions. Held annually to engage IFT’s student members to share their research and explo... – Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Getting Therapeutic Sound Waves Through Thick Skulls Ultrasound brain surgery has enormous potential for the treatment of neurological diseases and cancers, but getting sound waves through the skull and into the brain is no easy task. To address this problem, a team of researchers from the University o... – University of California, Riverside Advanced Healthcare Materials Deciphering Potent DNA Toxin’s Secrets One of the most potent toxins known acts by welding the two strands of the famous double helix together in a unique fashion which foils the standard repair mechanisms cells use to protect their DNA. A team of Vanderbilt University researchers have wo... – Vanderbilt University Nature Chemical Biology (24Jul2017) Music Therapy Helps People with Parkinson’s Build Strength Through Song A music therapy class is helping people with Parkinson's disease build strength through song. An Iowa State study shows singing improves the muscles used for swallowing and respiratory control – two functions complicated by Parkinson’s. – Iowa State University includes video Ebola Detected in Semen of Survivors Two Years After Infection Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found Ebola RNA in the semen of survivors two years after infection. They are calling on the World Health Organization to update its guidelines on sexual transmission. – University of North Carolina Health Care System Open Forum Infectious Diseases, July-2017 Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals Receive American College of Cardiology Awards for Heart Attack Treatment Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel and Ocean Medical Center in Brick have received the American College of Cardiology's NCDR ACTION Registry - Get with the Guide... – Hackensack Meridian Health In-Depth Analysis of Metastatic Cancer Could Enable More Precise Treatments HHMI Investigator Arul Chinnaiyan is using comprehensive tumor sequencing to better capture the drivers of metastatic cancer and treat the disease more effectively. – Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Nature Drug Therapy Using Enzyme from Lethal Bacteria Could Significantly Reduce Organ Rejection in Kidney Transplants An experimental treatment derived from a potentially deadly microorganism may provide lifesaving help for kidney transplant patients, according to an international study led by investigators at Cedars-Sinai. The study found that treating patients wit... – Cedars-Sinai New England Journal of Medicine, Aug. 3, 2017 Temple University Selected as Clinical Hub for National Institutes of Health Emergency Medicine Clinical Trials Network Temple University has been selected as one of only 11 clinical hubs for a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) emergency medicine clinical trials network. – Temple University Ferreting Out Causes of Resistance to Cancer Drugs Cancer cells are smart and find ways to best even the newest of treatments. Chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, and other treatments may kill nearly all cancer cells, but some cells are either not affected, or change to survive treatment. In time, th... – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Rutgers Dean Named Researcher of the Year for Studies on Men and Masculinity Perry N. Halkitis, new dean of Rutgers School of Public Health, is cited for his scholarship and advocacy for gay men’s health – Rutgers University Launch of the National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN) The National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN) has formally launched to accelerate educational advancement for nurses across the United States. NEPIN’s diverse stakeholders have joined to establish a national focus that will id... – Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) Loyola Enrolling Patients in Landmark Trial UsingPET Scans to Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease Loyola Medicine is participating in a landmark $100 million study of the effectiveness of using PET scans to detect Alzheimer's disease. – Loyola University Health System RTI International Testing Water for Lead at Nearly 100 NC Child Care Centers Nearly 100 North Carolina child care centers that use public water supplies are partnering with RTI International to test for lead. Additional child care centers and elementary schools can enroll in the study through mid-August. Participation in the ... – RTI International Missouri S&T Chapter of Engineers Without Borders Completes Guatemalan Clean Water Project After nearly a decade of work, a small Guatemalan village can now count on clean drinking water thanks to a group of student volunteers from Missouri University of Science and Technology. The Missouri S&T student chapter of Engineers Without Borders ... – Missouri University of Science and Technology Just Use the Glasses! LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It may be tempting to take a peek at the August 21 eclipse without eye protection. After all, we are told it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, a University of Louisville ophthalmologist says that peek could leave you with a... Expert Available – University of Louisville Southern Research Expands Efforts in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases with New Hire Rita Cowell, Ph.D., has joined the Southern Research as Chair of the Neuroscience Department as it expands research and drug discovery efforts focusing on diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. – Southern Research Twenty-Three ASTRO Members Awarded Fellows Designation The American Society for Radiation Oncology has selected 23 distinguished members to receive the ASTRO Fellow designation. The 2017 class of Fellows will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony at ASTRO’s 59th Annual Meeting, to be held September ... – American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Loyola Neurologist Named Among 50 Most Influential Latinos in Chicago Loyola Medicine neurologist José Biller, MD, has been named to Negocios Now's list of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in the Chicago Area. – Loyola University Health System XIV International Congress of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine - Durban, 20-22 October 2017 The XIVth International Congress of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine (ICPLM) and the Task Force on Paediatric Laboratory Medicine (TF-PLM) of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), invite you to the Congress ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program Bio-Rad Launches Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone, Expanding Its Critical Raw Materials Portfolio Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global provider of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announces the launch of recombinant Luteinizing Hormone (LH), which expands the company’s Critical Raw Material offerings. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program All Meeting News on Newswise Science News Steps Toward a Promising Therapy for a Rare Bone Disease Study examines the therapeutic potential of a small molecule to treat hereditary bony tumors – Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute R01AR055670; R01AR062692 Embargo expired on 03-Aug-2017 at 09:00 ET Research That Could Significantly Improve Treatment for Autism Unveiled at 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting A team of researchers has demonstrated that children with autism spectrum disorder have a unique composition of gut bacteria and urinary metabolites compared with unaffected children. The research, revealed today at the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Me... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting, Aug-2017; All Meeting News on Newswise Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 09:30 ET Shake It Up: Human-Induced and Natural Earthquakes in Central U.S. Are 'Inherently Similar' The stresses released by human-induced and naturally occurring earthquakes in the central United States are in many cases indistinguishable, meaning that existing tools to predict shaking damage can be applied to both types. – University of Michigan Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 14:00 ET 'Perfect Liquid' Quark-Gluon Plasma Is the Most Vortical Fluid Particle collisions recreating the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) that filled the early universe reveal that droplets of this primordial soup swirl far faster than any other fluid. The new analysis from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) shows that... – Brookhaven National Laboratory Nature, August 3, 2017 Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 13:00 ET Trapdoor spiders crossed Indian Ocean to get to Australia An Australian trapdoor spider, which usually moves no further than a couple of metres from where it was hatched, must have travelled to Australia over the Indian Ocean from South Africa, University of Adelaide research has shown. – University of Adelaide PLOS ONE Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 14:00 ET The First Civilizations of Greece are Revealing Their Stories to Science A new analysis of genome sequences from the ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans by HHMI investigator and colleagues offers insight into the origins of these Bronze Age cultures. – Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Nature, August 2017 Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 13:00 ET Hubble Detects Exoplanet with Glowing Water Atmosphere Scientists have discovered the strongest evidence to date for a stratosphere on a planet outside our solar system. The exoplanet WASP-121b results obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope are published in the journal Nature. – Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) Nature journal, Aug-2017 Embargo expired on 02-Aug-2017 at 13:00 ET Saving the Monarch Butterfly: Biologist Explains Population Census Discrepancies New research from an ISU biologist provides an explanation for why citizen scientists taking censuses of monarch butterfly populations didn’t note the same drops in population recorded in Mexico, where the monarchs spend their winters. The research... – Iowa State University Alkaline Soil, Sensible Sensor Producers sometimes face challenges that go deep into the soil. They need answers to help the soil, on site. A portable field sensor can accurately measure minerals in soils more easily and efficiently than existing methods. And a research team, incl... – American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Soil Science Society of America Journal, July 7, 2017 New Simulations Could Help in Hunt for Massive Mergers of Neutron Stars, Black Holes Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed new computer models to explore what happens when a black hole joins with a neutron star – the superdense remnant of an exploded star. – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Classical and Quantum Gravity, Focus issue: Rattle and shine: the signals from compact binary mergers includes video Marriage of Microscopy Techniques Reveals 3D Structure of Critical Protein Complex Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have solved the three-dimensional structure of a complex that is essential for the correct sorting of chromosomes into eggs and sperm during reproductive cell division or meiosis. – Stowers Institute for Medical Research PNAS Interdisciplinary Team Designs Gas Flow Cell to Analyze Catalytic Behavior A team of researchers from ORNL and Colorado State University developed a U-tube gas flow cell to study catalysts and better understand how facilitate chemical reactions. With this cell integrated into a new sample environment, they can combine neutr... – Oak Ridge National Laboratory Argonne Uses Digital Tools to Preserve Southwestern Cultural Heritage Hollywood’s Indiana Jones gained fame for wielding his pistol and bullwhip, but researchers at Argonne National Laboratory prefer to equip themselves with something far more sophisticated: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis. – Argonne National Laboratory $2.6 Million to Build Versatile Genetic Toolkit for Studying Animal Behavior Sophisticated techniques for testing hypotheses about the brain by activating and silencing genes are currently available for only a handful of model organisms. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are working on a simplified toolkit that... – Washington University in St. Louis NSF grant 1707221 DHS S&T Announces Commercialization of REnigma Malware Reverse-Engineering Tool DHS S&T today announced a groundbreaking malware analysis tool that is part of its Transition to Practice (TTP) program has transitioned as a new startup technology company. – Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate New NSF Grants Support Studies of Viruses and Efforts to Reduce Pharmaceutical Costs The University of Delaware will lead an interdisciplinary team that has received a $6 million grant to probe how viruses impact microbes critical to our lives, from producing oxygen to growing food. – University of Delaware MSU genetics and evolution study receives $1.2 million NSF grant Mississippi State is part of a new research collaboration sponsored by the National Science Foundation in which a colorful tropical butterfly is helping researchers investigate genetics and evolution. – Mississippi State University Lifestyle & Social Sciences Why Playtime Could Help Your Preschooler Perform Better in Math and Science Cornell researchers are working with Head Start Centers and day schools in New York City on early-intervention work to promote development of spatial skills and language acquisition in preschoolers. studies show those with better spatial skills are m... – Cornell University Professor Brings Innovative Program in Adolescent Drug Abuse Research Education to NAU A grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse is funding an innovative, experiential learning program at Northern Arizona University that has successfully trained dozens of students in specialized research methods in the area of adolescent drug a... – Northern Arizona University UC San Diego and Holland Partner Group Break Ground on New Downtown Development at Park and Market UC San Diego and Holland Partner Group broke ground on a state-of-the-art development that will bring the university to downtown San Diego as well as include a 34-story residential tower. The urban facility will connect the university's wide range of... – University of California San Diego

Is Your Laptop Overheating

Authentic news,No fake news.

Is Your Laptop Overheating (and Slowing Down)? A running fan is a bad sign, but there are simple ways to take the temperature of your machine. READ NOW   READ THESE NEXT How to Add a Router to Your Network Should Your Laptop and Tablet Be the Same Device? Here’s Why Your Android Is Running So Slow Why Changing a Few Settings Can Speed Up Your iPad

ENERGY NEWS-Demand factors lift crude oil prices higher

Authentic news,No fake news.

Demand factors lift crude oil prices higher

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Strong employment figures and signs of increasing U.S. demand offset low inflation in the OECD to push crude oil prices higher early Thursday.

Wintershall warns U.S. against playing 'geopolitical football'

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- German energy company Wintershall, a European partner with Russia's Gazprom, said the European energy sector can't be used for "geopolitical football."

Several earthquakes strike shale-rich Oklahoma

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Eight earthquakes were recorded Thursday in Oklahoma, a state at the heart of the shale oil and natural gas industry, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Poll: Shale drilling a new concept to the British public

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- With shale drilling about ready to go for the first time ever in the country, British opponents said public sentiment was moving against the practice.

Wood Group, Amec Foster Wheeler merger under scrutiny

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Energy companies Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler said they've done enough to address competition issues after the British government expressed concern.

Global momentum underway for electric vehicles

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The drive toward electric vehicles gained international momentum with Germany and the United States making strides on the sea change in the automotive industry.

Enbridge: Michigan, North Dakota pipelines working as planned

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The source of opposition, pipeline company Enbridge said in its second quarter report that pipelines in Michigan and North Dakota were operating as expected.

Oil muted, but could get lift from demand

Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices were standing still in early Wednesday trading after the market turned south on signs of easing supply-side strains in the United States.

WORLD NEWS-Venezuela AG investigating potential fraud in controversial election

Authentic news,No fake news.

Venezuela AG investigating potential fraud in controversial election

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Venezuela's attorney general has become the latest critic of President Nicolas Maduro to cast doubt on the validity of the country's recent election.

South Korea general, wife accused of forcing soldiers to work as 'slaves'

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A South Korean four-star general asked to be discharged following accusations of abuse in his household.

Report: North Korea rabbit stew never reached soldiers

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Nutritious meals of chicken and rabbit stew prepared for hungry North Korean soldiers have gone missing.

Brazilian President Temer survives vote on corruption trial

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Brazil's congress has voted to keep President Michel Temer out of a corruption case, which would have been the country's second presidential trial in two years.

Shinzo Abe may be open to 'political adventure' of North Korea visit

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Speculation is rising that Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may visit North Korea in September.

Report: Fugitive Chinese billionaire may have requested U.S. political asylum

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A fugitive Chinese billionaire who had vowed to expose corrupt Chinese officials may have requested political asylum from the United States.

U.S. NEWS-Evacuation ordered after CSX train derails in western Pennsylvania

Authentic news,No fake news.

Evacuation ordered after CSX train derails in western Pennsylvania

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Fire crews from several states are looking Thursday into the derailment of 32 rail cars -- some carrying hazardous material -- in western Pennsylvania.

Watch live: Trump to speak at Veterans Affairs health event

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday will address changes in the healthcare system for former servicemen and women.

Facebook starts new effort to filter out fake news

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Facebook on Thursday began offering additional links to news stories as another method to help users discern false news and misinformation.

Flynn holdover Cohen-Watnick removed from Nat'l Security Council

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior intelligence director of the National Security Council, has been removed from his post, the White House confirmed Wednesday.

This week in Washington

A look at the world of politics in Washington, D.C., for the week of July 31.

NTSB: Air Canada jetliner at SFO just missed hitting other planes

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A commercial airliner attempting to land on the wrong runway in San Francisco last month barely missed hitting other aircraft, federal investigators say.

Maine becomes 4th state to raise tobacco smoking age to 21

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Maine will become the fourth state to raise the smoking age to 21 after lawmakers voted to override the governor's veto that would've kept the age at 18.

Georgia grandmother charged after pit bulls maul grandson to death

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A Georgia grandmother has been charged with second-degree murder after her pit bulls mauled her 20-month-old grandson to death.

Lawsuit: Nebraska State Patrol forced women recruits to have vaginal exams

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A federal lawsuit accuses the Nebraska State Patrol of forcing female recruits to undergo "sexually invasive" medical examinations.

Kepler Spots First Possible Exomoon 4000 Light Years Away

Authentic news,No fake news.

Matt Williams द्वारा Ever since it was deployed in March of 2009, the Kepler mission has detected thousands of extra-solar planet candidates. In fact, between 2009 and 2012, it detected a total of 4,496 candidates, and confirmed the existence of 2,337 exoplanets. Even after two of its reaction wheels failed, the spacecraft still managed to turn up distant planets as part of its K2 mission, accounting for another 521 candidates and confirming 157. However, according to a new study conducted by a pair of researches from Columbia University and a citizen scientist, Kepler may also have also found evidence of an extra-solar moon. After sifting through data from hundreds of transits detected by the Kepler mission, the researchers found one instance where a transiting planet showed signs of having a satellite. Their study - which recently published online under the title "HEK VI: On the Dearth of Galilean Analogs in Kepler and the Exomoon Candidate Kepler-1625b I" - was by led Alex Teachley, a graduate student at Columbia University and a Graduate Research Fellow with the National Science Foundation (NSF). He was joined by David Kippling, an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University and the Principal Investigator of The Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler (HEK) project, and Allan Schmitt, a citizen scientist. Artist's impression of NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Credit: NASA For years, Dr. Kippling has been searching the Kepler database for evidence of exomoons, as part of the HEK. This is not surprising, considering the kinds of opportunities that exomoons present for scientific research. Within our Solar System, the study of natural satellites has revealed important things about the mechanisms that drive early and late planet formation, and moons possess interesting geological features that are commonly found on other bodies. It is for this reason that extending that research to the hunt for exoplanets is seen as necessary. Already, exoplanet-hunting missions like Kepler have turned up a wealth of planets that challenge conventional ideas about how planet formation and what kinds of planets are possible. The most noteworthy example are gas giants that have observed orbiting very close to their stars (aka. "Hot Jupiters"). As such, the study of exomoons could yield valuable information about what kinds of satellites are possible, and whether or not our own moons are typical. As Teachey told Universe Today via email: "Exomoons could tell us a lot about the formation of our Solar System, and other star systems. We see moons in our Solar System, but are they common elsewhere? We tend to think so, but we can't know for sure until we actually see them. But it's an important question because, if we find out there aren't very many moons out there, it suggests maybe something unusual was going on in our Solar System in the early days, and that could have major implications for how life arose on the Earth. In other words, is the history of our Solar System common across the galaxy, or do we have a very unusual origin story? And what does that say about the chances of life arising here? Exomoons stand to offer us clues to answering these questions." A montage of some of the potentially-habitable moons in our Solar System. From top to bottom, left to right, these include Europa, Enceladus, TItan and Ceres. Credit: NASA/JPL What's more, many moons in the Solar System - including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladusand Titan - are thought to host life in their interiors. This is due to the fact that these bodies have steady supplies of volatiles (such as nitrogen, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen, methane and sulfur dioxide) and possess internal heating mechanisms that could provide the necessary energy to power biological processes. Here too, the study of exomoons presents interesting possibilities, such as whether or not they may be habitable or even Earth-like. For these and other reasons, astronomers want to see if the planets that have been confirmed in distant star systems have systems of moons and what conditions are like on them. But as Teachey indicated, the search for exomoons presents a number of challenges compared to exoplanet-hunting: "Moons are difficult to find because 1) we expect them to be quite small most of the time, meaning the transit signal will be quite weak to begin with, and 2) every time a planet transits, the moon will show up in a different place. This makes them more difficult to detect in the data, and modeling the transit events is significantly more computationally expensive. But our work leverages the moons showing up in different places by taking the time-averaged signal across many different transit events, and even across many different exoplanetary systems. If the moons are there, they will in effect carve out a signal on either side of the planetary transit over time. Then it's a matter of modeling this signal and understanding what it means in terms of moon size and occurrence rate." To locate signs of exomoons, Teachey and his colleagues searched through the Kepler database and analyzed the transits of 284 exoplanet candidates in front of their respective stars. These planets ranged in size from being Earth-like to Jupiter-like in diameter, and orbited their stars at a distance of between ~0.1 to 1.0 AU. They then modeled the light curve of the stars using the techniques of phase-folding and stacking. An artist's conception of a habitable exomoon. Credit: NASA These techniques are commonly used by astronomers who monitor stars for dips in luminosity that are caused by the transits of planets (i.e. the transit method). As Headey explained, the process is quite similar: "Basically we cut up the time-series data into equal pieces, each piece having one transit of the planet in the middle. And when we stack these pieces together we're able to get a clearer picture of what the transit looks like... For the moon search we do essentially the same thing, only now we're looking at the data outside the main planetary transit. Once we stack the data, we take the average values of all the data points within a certain time window and, if a moon is present, we ought to see some missing starlight there, which allows us to deduce its presence." What they found was a single candidate located in the Kepler-1625 system, a yellow star located about 4000 light years from Earth. Designated Kepler-1625B I, this moon orbits the large gas giant that is located within the star's habitable zone, is 5.9 to 11.67 times the size of Earth, and orbits its star with a period of 287.4 days. This exomoon candidate, if it should be confirmed, will be the first exomoon ever discovered. The team's results (which await peer review) also demonstrated that large moons to be a rare occurrence in the inner regions of star systems (within 1 AU). This was something of a surprise, though Teachey acknowledges that it is consistent with recent theoretical work. According to what some recent studies suggest, large planets like Jupiter could lose their moons as they migrate inward. If this should prove to be the case, then what Teachey and his colleagues witnessed could be seen as evidence of that process. It could also be an indication our current exoplanet-hunting missions may not be up to the task of detecting exomoons. In the coming years, next-generations missions are expected to provide more detailed analyses of distant stars and their planetary systems. An artist's conception of a distance exomoon blocking out a star's light. Credit: Dan However, as Teachey indicated, these too could be limited in terms of what they can detect, and new strategies may ultimately be needed: "The rarity of moons in the inner regions of these star systems suggests that individual moons will remain difficult to find in the Kepler data, and upcoming missions like TESS, which should find lots of very short period planets, will also have a difficult time finding these moons. It's likely the moons, which we still expect to be out there somewhere, reside in the outer regions of these star systems, much as they do in our Solar System. But these regions are much more difficult to probe, so we will have to get even more clever about how we look for these worlds with present and near-future datasets." In the meantime, we can certainly be exited about the fact that the first exomoon appears to have been discovered. While these results await peer review, confirmation of this moon will mean additional research opportunities for Kepler-1625 system. And the fact that this moon orbits within the star's habitable zone could mean that it might be capable of sustaining life. Hmm, a habitable moon orbiting a gas giant. Does that sound like something that might have come up in some science fiction movies? Further Reading: arXiv