The U.S. CDC on Friday issued a health alert to inform clinicians‚ state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus. The farm worker from Texas was reported to be infected...

Israel and the United States are bracing for Iran to retaliate after an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria‚ U.S. officials told CBS News.

GOP: Nearly $1T to Implement Some Biden Climate Policies

U.S. stocks finished higher Friday after a strong jobs report reinforced the view that the economy remains healthy even as it suggested the Federal Reserve could delay cutting interest rates.

Home Improvement‚ a beloved American television sitcom from 1991 to 1999‚ centered around Tim Allens character Tim The Tool Man. As the host of the fictional TV show Tool Time‚ Tim was endearing yet prone to accidents‚ which provided comedic fodder for the series. The shows storyline delved into Tims life as a husband‚ father‚ and TV personality‚ often highlighting his humorous mishaps with DIY projects.The dynamics within Tims family‚ especially his interactions with his patient wife‚ Jill‚ portrayed by Patricia Richardson‚ and their three sons‚ Brad‚ Randy‚ and Mark‚ made the show more appealing to viewers. There has been speculation about a potential reboot of the beloved series. Patricia Richardson recently offered insights into her thoughts regarding the reboot and whether she would be involved in the project in an interview.Patricia Richardson is not interested in a Home Improvement rebootHOME IMPROVEMENT‚ from left‚ Tim Allen‚ Patricia Richardson‚ 1991-99. ph: Richard Reinsdorf / TV Guide / ABC / courtesy Everett CollectionDuring a discussion on the Back to the Best podcast‚ the 73-year-old revealed that contrary to the general information by Allen‚ she and some other cast members were not approached for the reboot. It was so weird. I would hear [Tim] was coming out publicly and saying this stuff about how everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion‚ but he never asked me‚ and he never asked Jonathan [Taylor Thomas]. Who I talk to‚ she stated. So I called Jonathan one day and said‚ Has he asked you about this? And he went‚ No. And Whys he going around telling everybody that were all on board when he hasnt talked to you or me?';RELATED:The Real Reason Behind The Concealed Face Of Wilson On Home ImprovementRichardson further explained that she was not interested in the series and that Allen had misled the public into believing she was a part of the plan. He was kind of lying to people and telling people I was on board and I didnt know anything about it‚ she added. So I wrote a big thing on Twitter and said‚ Im not involved in any series with Jill‚ and Ive also never even been asked to do another Home Improvement reunion thing. But I would not want to. I mean‚ Zach is now a felon.HOME IMPROVEMENT‚ Patricia Richardson‚ 1991-99 (1993 photo). ph: Craig Sjodin / TV Guide / ABC / courtesy Everett CollectionThe actress further explained that some of the cast of the TV series had retired from acting‚ thus dimming the prospect of having a good show. Taran [Noah Smith] hasnt acted since he left the show; hes not an actor anymore‚ and Jonathans not really interested in acting. He wants to direct and write. And we dont have Wilson‚ Richardson admitted. Its not gonna be the show‚ at all‚ and people think we can just magically go right back to who we were 30 years ago. And do a show that was 30 years ago and weve all changed quite a bit‚ I think‚ since then‚ it would be very weird.HOME IMPROVEMENT‚ from left: Tim Allen‚ Jonathan Taylor Thomas (wearing cap)‚ Zachery Ty Bryan‚ Patricia Richardson‚ Taran Noah Smith‚ (1992)‚ 1991-99. ph: Bob DAmico/Touchstone Television / Courtesy: Everett CollectionRichardson also explained that the original installment was perfect as it was and‚ therefore‚ needed nothing more. I think we did it‚ we did it well‚ we quit at the right time before it got really bad‚ she confessed. And it should just stay as it is.Click for next ArticleThe post Patricia Richardson Confesses Why Shes Not Interested In Home Improvement Reboot appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author‚ Peace A

The region near the Milky Ways centre is dominated by the supermassive black hole that resides there. Sagittarius A*s overwhelming gravity creates a chaotic region where tightly packed‚ high-speed stars crash into one another like cars in a demolition derby. These collisions and glancing blows change the stars forever. Some become strange‚ stripped-down‚ low-mass stars‚ while others gain new life. The Milky Ways supermassive black hole (SMBH) is called Sagittarius A* (Sgr. A*). Sgr. A* is about four million times more massive than the Sun. With that much mass‚ the much smaller stars nearby are easily affected by the black holes powerful gravity and are accelerated to rapid velocities. In the inner 0.1 parsec‚ or about one-third of a light-year‚ stars travel thousands of kilometres per second. Outside that region‚ the pace is much more sedate. Stars beyond 0.1 parsec travel at hundreds of km/s. But its not only the speed that drives the collisions. The region is also tightly packed with stars into what astronomers call a nuclear star cluster (NSC.) The combination of high speed and high stellar density creates a region where stars are bound to collide. They whack into each other and keep going.Sanaea Rose‚ Department of Physics and Astronomy‚ UCLANew research led by Northwestern University simulated stars orbiting Sgr. A* to understand the interactions and collisions and their results. Its titled Stellar Collisions in the Galactic Center: Massive Stars‚ Collision Remnants‚ and Missing Red Giants. The lead author is Sanaea C. Rose from UCLAs Department of Physics and Astronomy. The research was also recently presented at the American Physical Societys April meeting. The researchers simulated a population of 1‚000 stars embedded in the NSC. The stars ranged from 0.5 to 100 solar masses‚ but in practice‚ the upper limit was about 30 solar masses due to the initial mass function. Other characteristics‚ like orbital eccentricities‚ were varied to ensure that the sample caught stars at different distances from Sgr. A*. Thats necessary to build a solid understanding of the stellar collisions.The region around the central black hole is dense with stars moving at extremely high speeds‚ said lead author Rose. Its a bit like running through an incredibly crowded subway station in New York City during rush hour. If you arent colliding with other people‚ then you are passing very closely by them. For stars‚ these near collisions still cause them to interact gravitationally. We wanted to explore what these collisions and interactions mean for the stellar population and characterize their outcomes.Stars‚ which are under the influence of a supermassive black hole in a very crowded region‚ are unlike anything we will ever see in our own solar neighbourhood.Sanaea Rose‚ Department of Physics and Astronomy‚ UCLAThe stellar density in the inner 0.1 parsecs is nothing like our Solar Systems neighbourhood. The nearest star to our Sun is the low-mass Proxima Centauri. Its just over four light-years away. Its like having no neighbours at all.But in the NSC‚ things are way different. The Milky Way galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole (Sgr A*‚ shown in the inset on the right) embedded in the Nuclear Star Cluster (NSC) at the center‚ highlighted and enlarged in the middle panel. The image on the right shows the stellar density in the NSC. Image Credit: Zhuo ChenThe closest star to our sun is about four light-years away‚ Rose explained. Within that same distance near the supermassive black hole‚ there are more than a million stars. Its an incredibly crowded neighbourhood. On top of that‚ the supermassive black hole has a really strong gravitational pull. As they orbit the black hole‚ stars can move at thousands of kilometres per second.In a stellar density that high‚ collisions are inevitable. The rate of collisions is more severe the closer stars are to the SMBH. In their research‚ Rose and her colleagues simulated the region to determine the collisions effect on individual stars and the stellar population. The simulations showed that head-on collisions are rare. So stars arent destroyed. Instead‚ theyre more like glancing blows‚ where stars can be stripped of their outer layers before continuing their trajectories. They whack into each other and keep going‚ Rose said. They just graze each other as though they are exchanging a very violent high-five. This causes the stars to eject some material and lose their outer layers. Depending on how fast they are moving and how much they overlap when they collide‚ they might lose quite a bit of their outer layers. These destructive collisions result in a population of strange‚ stripped down‚ low-mass stars.These stars end up migrating away from the SMBH. The authors say that there is likely a population of these low-mass stars spread throughout the galactic centre (GC.) They also say that the ejected mass from these grazing collisions could produce the gas and dust features other researchers have observed in the GC‚ like X7‚ and G objects like G3 and G2. X7 is an elongated gas and dust structure in the galactic centre. The researchers suggest it could be made of mass stripped from stars during collisions between fast-moving stars near Sgr. A*. G3 and G2 are objects that resemble clouds of gas and dust but also have properties of stellar objects. Image Credit: Ciurlo et al. 2023.Outside of the 0.1 parsecs region‚ the stars are slower. As a result‚ collisions between stars arent as energetic or destructive. Instead of creating a population of stripped-down stars‚ collisions allow the stars to merge‚ creating more massive stars. Multiple mergers are possible‚ creating stars more massive than our Sun. A few stars win the collision lottery‚ Rose said. Through collisions and mergers‚ these stars collect more hydrogen. Although they were formed from an older population‚ they masquerade as rejuvenated‚ young-looking stars. They are like zombie stars; they eat their neighbours.But after they gain that mass‚ they hasten their own demise. They become like young‚ massive stars that consume their fuel quickly. This artists illustration shows a massive star orbiting Sagittarius A*. Post-collision‚ some stars gain mass and end up shortening their lives. Image Credit: University of Cologne They die very quickly‚ Rose said. Massive stars are sort of like giant‚ gas-guzzling cars. They start with a lot of hydrogen‚ but they burn through it very‚ very fast.Another puzzling thing about this inner region is the lack of red giants. Observations of the GC indicate a deficit of RGs within about 0.3 pc of the SMBH‚ the authors write‚ referencing other research. Their results could explain it. We consider whether main-sequence stellar collisions may help explain this observational puzzle‚ they write. We find that within ~ 0.01 pc of the SMBH‚ stellar collisions destroy most low-mass stars before they can evolve off the main sequence. Thus‚ we expect a lack of RGs in this region. The region around the Milky Ways SMBH is chaotic. Even disregarding the black hole itself and its swirling accretion disk and tortured magnetic fields‚ the stars that dance to its tune live chaotic lives. The simulations show that most stars in the GC will experience direct collisions with other stars. But their chaotic lives could shed light on how the entire region evolved. And since the region resists astronomers attempts to observe it‚ simulations like this are their next best tool. Its an environment unlike any other‚ Rose said. Stars‚ which are under the influence of a supermassive black hole in a very crowded region‚ are unlike anything we will ever see in our own solar neighbourhood. But if we can learn about these stellar populations‚ then we might be able to learn something new about how the galactic center was assembled. At the very least‚ it certainly provides a point of contrast for the neighbourhood where we live.Note: these results are based on a pair of published papers:Collisional Shaping of Nuclear Star Cluster Density ProfilesStellar Collisions in the Galactic Center: Massive Stars‚ Collision Remnants‚ and Missing Red Giants The post The Stellar Demolition Derby in the Centre of the Galaxy appeared first on Universe Today.

All the more reason to support Patel for AG!

President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill into law if it passes Congress.

Governor Tim Walz called the idea that a new company would emerge to replace Uber and Lyft magical thinking.

Rutgers is currently under investigation by the House Education and Workforce Committee over its handling of antisemitism on its campus.