Mysterious radio signal from the galaxy's core 'fits no currently understood pattern'

Scientists say we need to rethink how we dispose of satellites, Microsoft reports business-as-usual against one of the biggest DDoS attacks ever Oct 13, 2021 # Good morning. There's an eerie radio signal coming from the heart of our galaxy, and scientists have no idea what it is. We can, however, strive to understand it, which is already underway. Also in today’s edition, Microsoft reported business as usual after mitigating its biggest-yet cyberattack. Impressive. But high above the digital carnage, scientists say we need to figure out new ways to get rid of old, inactive satellites that are crowding our already-packed orbit, and we need to do it quickly before they start falling back onto our heads. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. SCIENCE [Mysterious Radio Signal From the Galaxy's Core 'Fits No Currently Understood Pattern']( ['We've never seen anything like it.']( [Astronomers have discovered a strange radio signal]( coming from the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, but they have no clue what the source is. In fact, they've "never seen anything like it,” and the pattern of the radio waves doesn’t line up with any known space object. Could this indicate the existence of a new class of objects in space, like a new type of star? There's a chance. Spooky signals at a distance. At first, the scientists thought the signal was coming from a pulsar or a star releasing enormous solar flares. But on closer inspection, they saw this wasn’t the case since the signals didn’t match the theory. With additional research, the team detected five more radio signals from the source over nine months in 2020. Each detection was not only a different size — it was also polarized, which means it rotated in a corkscrew pattern at a steady velocity, which could point toward the possibility of a new class of stellar object. Speculation. The case has some parallels with another emerging class of strange objects known as galactic center radio transients, including one dubbed the "[cosmic burper]( according to Wang's co-supervisor, Prof. David Kaplan of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but this remains an unconfirmed possibility. Future studies. The astronomers hope that further observations will shed light on the source as the novel Square Kilometer Array radio telescope comes online within the next decade. Who knows, perhaps it will open their eyes to [another slew of new mysteries lurking in the cosmos](. [Read More]( INNOVATION [Scientists Say We Need to Rethink How We Dispose of Satellites]( [A satellite in orbit, with four solar panels and the Earth behind.]( It seems like every other week, another rocket is sent into space carrying rovers to Mars, tourists, or, most often, satellites. And, as Earth's orbit becomes exponentially crowded, concern about space debris is increasing, as does a real possibility of collisions. - A new perspective. [Researchers completed an investigation]( of how satellites re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, including cases where bits of them survive to impact the planet, and found that the "casualty risk" exceeds a critical threshold stipulated by regulations. This doesn't mean we’ll be smashed by falling satellites, but there is an increasing risk of satellite collisions, which could hinder or even spell disaster for future orbital missions. And, satellites de-orbited without precise control could endanger property, or the well-being of some on the ground. The situation. The two most populated orbital regions are the geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and the low-Earth orbit (LEO). Satellites residing in the latter are typically disposed of via natural re-entry into the atmosphere, since atmospheric drag is sufficient to slow them into a terminal trajectory in a relatively short time. However, satellites based in GSO, medium Earth orbit (MEO), or highly elliptical orbit (HEO) require [more involved strategies](. The European Space Agency-run GSO missions, for example, put the satellites into a "graveyard orbit," but the researchers suggest they should be moved into a region where "lunisolar gravitational perturbations" can create a long-term trajectory that will ultimately send them into a natural re-entry vector. Translation. The potential for destructive re-entry implies a need to assess each spacecraft's "casualty risk". According to the new study, the researchers say new design-for-demise techniques, or controlled and semi-controlled re-entries would be necessary for this technique. Ideally, scientists [could also design satellites]( in a way that’ll minimize the risk of collisions for a sustainable human and technological presence in orbit. [Read More]( CULTURE [Microsoft Reports Business-as-Usual Against One of the Biggest DDoS Attacks Ever]( [Microsoft offers Azure networking services]( A round of applause to Microsoft: [The tech giant says]( it was able to mitigate a 2.4-Tbps Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack in August. - What’s that? A DDoS is a type of cyberattack in which large amounts of traffic are sent to the host server to overwhelm its ability to direct traffic, disrupting services for actual users. The extent of the attack is measured in terabits of traffic received per second. The attack, which targeted an Azure client in Europe, was 140 percent higher than the biggest attack bandwidth volume Microsoft recorded in 2020, and it’s one of the largest that service providers like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services have seen in recent years. The attack. The whole thing lasted 10 (probably very stressful) minutes, with short-lived bursts of traffic that peaked at 2.4 Tbps, 0.55 Tbps, and finally 1.7 Tbps. The attack traffic originated from 70,000 sources, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, China, and the United States. - Azure was able to stay online throughout the attack, thanks to its ability to absorb tens of terabits of DDoS attacks. Microsoft attributed the mitigation success to its distributed DDoS detection and its control plane logic that allocates mitigation resources closest to the source of the attack. This shows how crucial it is to have a robust defense strategy for DDoS attacks, as they can also be used as a cover for secondary attacks that attempt to spread malware and [infiltrate company systems](. [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing. ” Thomas Huxley, in Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, Volume 1 [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [How the World's Tallest Buildings Handle Lightning Strikes]( Violent lightning strikes the Empire State building roughly 25 times a year. [How the World's Tallest Buildings Handle Lightning Strikes]( TODAY IN HISTORY Today in 1985, scientists at Fermilab's Collider Detector observed the Tevatron collider’s first antiproton-proton collision. But Tevatron's greatest accomplishment would come ten years later when it discovered the top quark—the last fundamental fermion predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. AND ANOTHER THING... - How feasible is it to build a “Jupiter brain,” a computer the size of a planet? [Let's explore the scientific implications](. - We know what climate change looks like in 2021: this summer alone was the hottest on record. But what does the future hold? [Here are three dark scenarios](. (Fast Company) - Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is facing numerous federal fraud charges, alleging that she deliberately misled investors, doctors, and patients about her company's blood-testing capabilities. If convicted, she may face up to 20 years in prison, so [here's the most up-to-date information]( on the trial. (CNN) - In need of some career tips? Neuroscientist Stefano Sandrone’s book Nobel Life features interviews with 24 laureates on everything from dealing with rejection to enjoying the moment. [Here are some of the best](. (Nature) - In a recent Danish movie called Another Round, four high school teachers decide to microdose alcohol daily during working hours to see whether it'll improve their performance. [Could there be any scientific basis behind this practice]( (The Conversation) - A huge subterranean “tree” is funneling magma to the Earth’s surface, acting as a catalyst for significant volcanic activity. [Here’s what that looks like](. (Quanta Magazine) - Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel to space, inspired young women all over the globe to pursue careers in STEM fields. Now, [her image will appear]( on one of the first five coins in the U.S. Mint’s "American Women Quarters Program." Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( to manage your newsletter subscriptions. © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]