- Reuters
Astronomers finally detect a rocky planet with an atmosphere
Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets beyond our solar system with an atmosphere - a trait considered essential for any possibility of harboring life. Researchers said on Wednesday the planet is a "super-Earth" - a rocky world significantly larger than our planet but smaller than Neptune - and it orbits perilously close to a star dimmer and slightly less massive than our sun, rapidly completing an orbit every 18 hours or so. Infrared observations using two instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope indicated the presence of a substantial - if inhospitable - atmosphere, perhaps continuously replenished by gases released from a vast ocean of magma.
- Reuters
Google DeepMind unveils next generation of drug discovery AI model
Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its "AlphaFold" artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively. In 2020, the company made a significant advance in molecular biology by using AI to successfully predict the behaviour of microscopic proteins. With the latest incarnation of AlphaFold, researchers at DeepMind and sister company Isomorphic Labs – both overseen by cofounder Demis Hassabis – have mapped the behaviour for all of life's molecules, including human DNA.
- Iowa City Press-Citizen
Iowa City's tobacco permit moratorium will address safety concerns, influx of vape shops
Iowa City will stop issuing new tobacco permits through the end of the year as the number of tobacco and smoke shops in the area have grown.
