1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,519 This is Spacetime Series twenty seven, Episode twelve, for broadcast on the twenty 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:09,720 sixth of January twenty twenty four. Coming up on space Time, the oldest 3 00:00:09,759 --> 00:00:16,000 black hole ever observed, a new satellite to study Earth's criosphere, and Boeing 4 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:22,280 Starliner moves a step closer to launch with a successful upgraded parachute test. All 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:30,600 that and more coming up on space Time Welcome to space Time with Stuart Gary. 6 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:51,399 Astronomers have discovered what they're describing as the earliest and oldest black hole ever 7 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:57,399 observed, a monster dating back more than thirteen billion years to a time very 8 00:00:57,439 --> 00:01:00,840 near the dawn of the universe. The fine were reported in the journal Nature. 9 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,319 Sure the black hole was already actively feeding just four hundred million years after 10 00:01:06,359 --> 00:01:11,040 the Big Bang, eating its hearst galaxy to death. The observations were made 11 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,680 using NASA's web Space Telescope. The studies lead author, Professor Roberto Mejelina, 12 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,640 from the University of Cambridge, says, the very fact that such a surprisingly 13 00:01:19,719 --> 00:01:25,719 massive black hole several million times the mass of our Sun already existed so early 14 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:32,519 in the universe challenges our assumptions about how black holes foreman grow see Estronness believe 15 00:01:32,599 --> 00:01:34,719 that super massive black holes, which are found at the centers of most, 16 00:01:34,719 --> 00:01:38,519 if not all, galaxies, including the one at the center of our own 17 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,920 galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to their current size over billions of years, 18 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,599 but the massive size of this newly discovered black hole suggests they may well 19 00:01:47,599 --> 00:01:51,799 have formed in other ways, such as being born big through the direct collapse 20 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:57,280 of massive gas clouds. Alternatively, it could simply be that they've consumed a 21 00:01:57,319 --> 00:02:00,319 lot of matter in a very fast rate, at least five times faster than 22 00:02:00,439 --> 00:02:06,239 was previously thought possible. Now. According to this hypothesis, super massive black 23 00:02:06,239 --> 00:02:09,360 holes are formed out of the remnants of dead stars, which collapse to form 24 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:15,719 stellar mass black holes and then gradually merged over time. But growing by this 25 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,960 method would take at least a billion years to reach the current size observed, 26 00:02:20,759 --> 00:02:23,800 and that's where the problem arises. See the universe was only four hundred million 27 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:30,639 years old when this black hole was detected. Meelina says early galaxies were extremely 28 00:02:30,719 --> 00:02:34,120 gas rich, and so it would have been like a buffet for a black 29 00:02:34,159 --> 00:02:38,000 hole, and that's supported by the fact that this particular black hole is devouring 30 00:02:38,039 --> 00:02:43,439 material from its Hearst galaxy at a ferocious rate. In fact, the author's 31 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,639 calculations suggest that it's gobbling up matter much more vigorously than its siblings. At 32 00:02:47,719 --> 00:02:53,520 later epochs. The young Hearst galaxy called GNZ eleven is glowing from the enormous 33 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:58,919 energetic output of the black hole at its center. Of course, black holes 34 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,879 can't be observed directly. Escape velocity from a black hole is greater than the 35 00:03:01,879 --> 00:03:07,639 speed of light, hence their name, but they give away their location by 36 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,560 their actions on surrounding space. In this case, a feeding black hole would 37 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,400 have heaps of swirling material orbiting around it in an accretion disc, and that 38 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:22,800 material is being constantly torn and ripped apart of the subatomic level, releasing huge 39 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,840 amounts of energy before eventually disappearing beyond the black holes of at horizon. It's 40 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:32,560 point of no return, beyond which matter falls forever into the singularity. The 41 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,159 gas on the accretion disc becomes extremely hot and it glows, radiating out energy 42 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:44,280 in X rays and ultraviolet, and it's the strong glow which is how astronomers 43 00:03:44,319 --> 00:03:50,280 are able to detect black holes. GNZ eleven is a compact galaxy aboute hundred 44 00:03:50,319 --> 00:03:53,120 times smaller than our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and the black hole 45 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:59,840 at its center is likely harming its development. See as black holes consume material, 46 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:04,639 some of the material is forced away in powerful jets known its quasars, 47 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:10,639 sort of like an ultrafast moving wind. This wind can stop the process of 48 00:04:10,719 --> 00:04:15,720 star formation, thereby slowly killing the surrounding galaxy and eventually cutting off the black 49 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:21,519 Horse fuel supply. This is space time still to come, a new satellite 50 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:28,160 to study earth changing cryosphere, and Boeing Starliner now slated to launch its first 51 00:04:28,199 --> 00:04:31,639 astronauts to the International Space Station in April. All that and more still to 52 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:53,480 come on space time. The countdown is now underway for this year's launch of 53 00:04:53,519 --> 00:04:58,879 the joint American Indian NISA spacecraft, which will study how climate change is affecting 54 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,120 the planet's ice sheet. It's glaciers and sea ice short for NASA ISRAE that's 55 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:09,920 the Indian Space Research Organization Synthetic Aperture Radar. The nicer spacecraft will use radar 56 00:05:10,079 --> 00:05:14,519 to monitor changes on Earth's land and sea surfaces, including the ice sheets covering 57 00:05:14,519 --> 00:05:17,800 Antarctica in Greenland, as well as on mountain glaciers. The breakup of ice 58 00:05:17,879 --> 00:05:23,839 shelves, the health of wetlands, and even ground defamation caused by volcanoes. 59 00:05:24,439 --> 00:05:29,600 Its high resolution radar data will provide the most comprehensive picture so far of motion 60 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:34,399 and defamation of frozen surfaces in Earth's ice and snow covered environments, collectively known 61 00:05:34,439 --> 00:05:41,480 as the cryosphere. Glaciologist Alex Gardner from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Passing into 62 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:46,800 California says the planet's thermostat is set on the high and Earth's ice is responding 63 00:05:46,879 --> 00:05:50,480 by speeding up its motion and melting faster. Gardner says, we need to 64 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:56,199 better understand the processes at play, and NISA will provide us with the measurements 65 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:00,879 to do that. Set to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organization from 66 00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:05,160 Southern India NICE that will observe nearly all the planet's land and ice surfaces twice 67 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:11,439 every twelve days. The satellite's unique insights into its criosphere will come from the 68 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,759 combination of two separate radar units. There's an lband system with a twenty five 69 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:21,000 centimeter wavelength and an S band system operating on a ten centimeter wavelength. The 70 00:06:21,079 --> 00:06:26,519 old bands designed to see through snow, helping scientists better tract the motion of 71 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,759 ice underneath, while the s bad is more sensitive to snow moisture, which 72 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:36,240 indicates smelting. Both signals penetrate clouds and darkness, thereby enabling observations during months 73 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:43,759 long polar winter nights and nicas orientation in orbits also important. It'll enable a 74 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,240 spacecraft to collect data from Antarctic as far interior close to the South Pole. 75 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:53,959 That's something other large radar imaging satellites don't too. They're usually on orbits, 76 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:58,800 which more extensively cover the Arctic. But it's the Antarctic's ice sheets which hold 77 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,120 the planet's largest reserve of frozen fresh water, and the rate at which it 78 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:08,199 may lose ice represents the greatest uncertainty when it comes to sea level rice projections. 79 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:13,879 So NIC's increase courage of the Antarctic will be crucial for studying the motion 80 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:18,240 of ice flowing down from the central Antarctic highlands down towards the sea, and 81 00:07:18,279 --> 00:07:23,639 the measurements will also enable scientists to closely study what happens where the ice and 82 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,759 oceans meet. For example, when parts of an ice sheet sit on ground 83 00:07:27,759 --> 00:07:30,800 that's below sea level, salt water can seep under the ice, increasing melting 84 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:36,439 and instability. Both Antarctic and Greenland have ice shelves, masses of ice that 85 00:07:36,519 --> 00:07:41,439 extend from land and float out on the ocean, and these are thinning and 86 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:46,720 crumbling as icebergs break off. Ice shells are important because they help keep glacial 87 00:07:46,759 --> 00:07:50,360 ice on land from slipping into the ocean. If they diminish, glaciers can 88 00:07:50,399 --> 00:07:56,879 flow and calve faster. And the problem is ice losses on both Antarctica and 89 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,519 Greenland have been accelerating since the nineteen ninety and so there's uncertainty about how quickly 90 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:07,319 each will continue to recede. Nicer will monitor the movement and extent of sea 91 00:08:07,399 --> 00:08:11,319 level ice in both hemispheres. Sea level ice is important because it insulates the 92 00:08:11,319 --> 00:08:16,040 ocean from the air, thereby reducing evaporation and heat loss to the atmosphere. 93 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:22,199 It also reflects sunlight, thereby keeping the planet cooler through the albedo effect. 94 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,240 We know that Arctic c ice has been diminishing for decades now as rising water 95 00:08:26,279 --> 00:08:31,120 and air temperatures have increased melting. With more of its surface exposed to sunlight, 96 00:08:31,279 --> 00:08:35,320 the Arctic ocean gains and holds more heat in summer. It therefore takes 97 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:41,360 longer to cool. This means that less ice formation happens in winter and faster 98 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,840 melting happens next summer. With greater courage of the Southern Ocean than any other 99 00:08:45,879 --> 00:08:50,279 mission to day, NICER will open new insights around Antarctica, where c ice 100 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,759 has been thought to be mostly stable until the past few years. Of course, 101 00:08:54,799 --> 00:08:58,559 that's all changed recently, with the latest reading showing it's reached a record 102 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:03,200 low in twenty twenty three. But it's not just the polar regions. The 103 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,039 satellite will also track changes in Earths mountain glaciers. See the melting of the 104 00:09:07,039 --> 00:09:11,559 glaciers has already contributed about a third of the sea level rise that's been seen 105 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:18,159 since the nineteen sixties, and climate driven changes to freezing and thawing patterns affect 106 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,480 water supplies to downstream populations. And this is important for India because in the 107 00:09:22,519 --> 00:09:28,480 Himalays, nice As all weather capabilities will at researches monitor how much water is 108 00:09:28,519 --> 00:09:33,519 stored in glacial lakes, and that's essential for assessing the risks of future catastrophic 109 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:39,559 floods. This report from NASA TV with NISSAR, we're attracting the changes of 110 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:45,720 the solid Earth and how it's moving, ecosystem's ice cover, and any other 111 00:09:45,759 --> 00:09:48,720 thing that's changing at the scale of a centimeter on the Earth in a way 112 00:09:48,759 --> 00:09:56,480 that we've never been able to see before. Because of these very subtle motions 113 00:09:56,519 --> 00:10:01,480 we can measure, we're able to understand what's happening below the surface of the 114 00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:05,600 Earth a great precision. We can see subsidence and that allows us then to 115 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:11,759 manage resources of what's happening below the Earth. Scientists want to study the movements 116 00:10:11,759 --> 00:10:18,200 of the Earth's surface to understand the processes that could trigger earthquakes, volcanoes, 117 00:10:18,399 --> 00:10:24,279 and landslides, and that allows us then to understand risks associated with natural hazards, 118 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,440 which in turn can help in mitigation measures and early response. Other changes 119 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:33,200 over the Earth's surface include melting of glaciers and ice sheets, changes in fortest 120 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:39,120 biomass, soil moisture, and shoreline changes. It's based on radar, so 121 00:10:39,159 --> 00:10:43,240 it has two different frequency radars and it basically looks through clouds and sees the 122 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,679 surface of the Earth. These beams coming down from the antenna and coming back 123 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,000 then that's where it collects the data and when it combines them all together, 124 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,720 you get what we need for the science. We can see day and night 125 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,480 through clouds and recovering all of the land and all of the ice covered surfaces 126 00:10:58,519 --> 00:11:05,519 of Earth every week. NISAR is quite unique in that it has two radars, 127 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:09,519 one provided by NASA, one provided by ISRO, the Indian Space Research 128 00:11:09,639 --> 00:11:16,600 Organization. NASA and NISRO have collaborated in this mission till last year. We 129 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:22,799 were there at JPL NASA where the radars got integrated and tested and were shipped 130 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:28,200 back to India. And now the spacecraft is getting integrated with the instruments and 131 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:35,519 they are being tested together in NISA is going to be launched from Shriharrikota which 132 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:39,519 is a ESRO launch pad and it is going to be launched by AGSLV Mark 133 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:43,639 two. So we are just looking forward for the launch of NISAR in the 134 00:11:43,759 --> 00:11:50,519 forthcoming GIA. NISIR is measuring the changes on the Earth surface which are either 135 00:11:50,799 --> 00:11:56,240 factors or indicators of climate change. The society will also immensely benefit due to 136 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:03,440 its contribution towards disaster management and providing food and water security. These things are 137 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:09,559 global problems that the global community needs to come together to resolve. Now it 138 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:13,039 looks like we are no more belonging to two different worlds and we all belong 139 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:18,159 to the space community. That's it. There's the excitement about what we are 140 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,720 going to learn that we didn't even anticipate we're going to learn. And in 141 00:12:20,759 --> 00:12:24,000 that report from n's a TV, we had from NICEA Project scientist Paul Rosen 142 00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:28,679 from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, nice AS science co lead the PACPUT review from 143 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:35,080 the Indian Space Research Organization, nice AD Deputy Project Manager Windy Eddleston also from 144 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,120 the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and nice AD Deputy Project Manager Chatrau, also from 145 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:46,320 the Indian Space Research Organization. This space time, still, the Camp Stalin 146 00:12:46,519 --> 00:12:50,000 passes an important parachute test, thereby helping clear the way for its first man 147 00:12:50,039 --> 00:12:54,919 fly to the International Space Station later this year. And later in the science 148 00:12:54,000 --> 00:13:00,240 report, any study looks at the microbes responsible for the lovely flavors cheese as 149 00:13:00,639 --> 00:13:20,159 all that and more coming up on space time. Okay, let's take a 150 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:24,519 break from our show or a word from our sponsor, NordVPN. If you're 151 00:13:24,519 --> 00:13:28,159 a sports fan, you know this struggle of missing out on that big game, 152 00:13:28,759 --> 00:13:33,159 especially when they're simply not available in your country through gear blocking. Well, 153 00:13:33,159 --> 00:13:37,639 that's where nord vpn comes in. It's quite literally a game changer for 154 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,639 sports fans worldwide. 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Hey you want to, so say goodbye to missing 161 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,919 out on social media updates and exclusive content just because of where you are. 162 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:22,240 And the best part, NordVPN offers you a thirty day money back guarantee. 163 00:14:22,759 --> 00:14:26,080 That's right, you can try it out and if it's not living up to 164 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:30,120 our promise, there's no cost to you, zero nada. In other words, 165 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,080 there's no risk and you get all the rewards now. If you're ready 166 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:39,240 to join nordvpn's winning team, head over to NordVPN dot com. Slash Stewart, 167 00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:43,799 Gary and click on that get the Deal button. That's NordVPN dot com 168 00:14:43,799 --> 00:14:48,519 slash Stewart Gary and click on they Get the Deal button. And remember it's 169 00:14:48,559 --> 00:14:52,360 alternally risk free with Nord's thirty day money back guarantee. Now you can find 170 00:14:52,399 --> 00:14:56,320 all the details in our show notes and on our website, so don't miss 171 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:01,840 out. That's NordVPN dot com slash Stewart Gary. Secure your spot at the 172 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:07,559 Global Sports Arena with Nord VPN and now it's back to our show. You're 173 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:16,120 listening to Springstime with Stuart Gary. Engineers have tested a modified new parachute system 174 00:15:16,159 --> 00:15:22,480 for Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft in the skies above Arizona. The plimbery data analysis 175 00:15:22,519 --> 00:15:26,480 from the parachute deployment and soft landing test suggest the primary test objectives were all 176 00:15:26,559 --> 00:15:31,639 met. Now many years behind schedule, sixty one hundred, star Liner is 177 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:37,799 slated to undertake its first man test flight to the International Space Station sometime around 178 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,960 mid April what will be a ten day mission. The drop test used the 179 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:46,720 new star Liner parachute system attached to a dart shaped slid about the same mass 180 00:15:46,759 --> 00:15:50,799 as the Starliner capsule. It was designed to confirm the functioning of a redesigned 181 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:56,360 and strengthen soft link joint that's part of a network of lines connecting the parachutes 182 00:15:56,399 --> 00:16:00,279 to the spacecraft. The test involved dropping the test out the rear of a 183 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:07,440 C one thirty hercules transport from NASA's Wallop Stylan flight facility in Virginia. Starliner 184 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:11,840 has already undertaken two unmanned orbital test flights to the International Space Station, the 185 00:16:11,919 --> 00:16:17,000 second of which successfully docked with the orbiting outpost in May twenty twenty two. 186 00:16:17,799 --> 00:16:21,320 However, the first orbital test flight, back in December twenty nineteen, was 187 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:25,879 a complete failure. Firstly, there was a faulty mission clock which caused the 188 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:30,200 orbital insertion engines to fire too early. That resulted in Styliner achieving orbit two 189 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:36,639 load to reach the space station. Mission managers then discovered two faulty computer programs, 190 00:16:36,799 --> 00:16:40,200 one of which would have prevented the plan docking with the space station anyway, 191 00:16:40,399 --> 00:16:44,240 and the other would have caused star Liner to collide with its service module 192 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:48,840 after it was jettisoned prior to atmospheric reentry that would have destroyed the spacecraft completely. 193 00:16:49,519 --> 00:16:55,440 NASA conducted a major review of Boeing star Liner program, and they identified 194 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,840 no less than eighty corrective actions which Boeing needed to take before Starline I could 195 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,759 turn to flight. Right now, the only way for astronauts to reach the 196 00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:08,839 International Space Station is either aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsules or the Russian Soyuz system, 197 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:30,359 which has its own problems. This is space time, and time that I'd 198 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,359 take another brief look at some of the other stories making use in science this 199 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,319 week. With a Science report, Researchers have identified a two hundred and eighty 200 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:44,079 eight million year old fragment of ancient fossilized skin. The ancient epidermis described in 201 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:47,960 the General Current Biology is at least one hundred and thirty million years older than 202 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,039 any previously described skin fossils. The skin, which belonged to an early species 203 00:17:52,039 --> 00:17:57,720 of Palaeozoic reptile, was discovered in the Richard Spur Limestone cave system in Oklahoma. 204 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,920 The preserve fragments are tiny, smaller than a fingernail, but they still 205 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,519 contain features which are shared with lots of ancient and extinct reptiles, such as 206 00:18:07,559 --> 00:18:14,440 the pebbled surface similar to crocodile skin and hinged regions between epidermal scales that resemble 207 00:18:14,519 --> 00:18:18,599 the skin structures of snakes and worm lizards. The find is amazing because skin 208 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,759 and other soft tissues rarely fossilize. The authors think this skin was preserved because 209 00:18:23,759 --> 00:18:29,359 of the cave conditions in which it was found. The cave system included fine 210 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:33,359 clay sediments that would have slowed decomposition. Also, there was oil seepage which 211 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:37,839 would have acted as a preservative, and it was all in an oxygen free 212 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,720 cave environment. The tatters of fossilized skin, as well as various skin impression 213 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:47,119 also found in the cave, come from the earliest known amniotes, lizard like 214 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:51,559 animals that are among the first creatures to live their entire lives on dry land 215 00:18:51,839 --> 00:18:57,200 away from the water's edge. Scientists have created what is the largest ever catalog 216 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:03,319 marine microbes based on scanning environmental DNA in thousands of water samples from the world's 217 00:19:03,319 --> 00:19:07,880 oceans. The findings, reported in the General Fronties of Science, links to 218 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,720 microbes with their biological function, location, and habitat type, and is available 219 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:18,240 for use by scientists around the world. The authors say the work was possible 220 00:19:18,319 --> 00:19:23,039 thanks to major advances in DNA sequencing computing technology which identified some three hundred and 221 00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:27,960 seventeen and a half million groups of genes in sample types. As well as 222 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,160 aiding an ocean conservation, the authors hope it will enable scientists to scan for 223 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,039 genes which could be used in future for drug development, energy production, and 224 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:44,359 agriculture. European researchers say a combination of teeny tiny bugs are responsible for the 225 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:48,640 lovely flavors found in the Cheddar cheese on your toast. Their findings, reported 226 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,119 in the journal Nature Communications, follows a year of research doing what most of 227 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:59,079 us dream about, making and then eating, especially made cheese. They added 228 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,759 different combination a certain starter bacteria to their cheese and found which ones created Cheddar's 229 00:20:03,839 --> 00:20:08,920 buttery, nutty, fluffy, and creamy flavors. Well, in case you 230 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:14,720 had any doubt, let me state categorically that your favorite color does not provide 231 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:21,359 a definitive statement about your personality. It's becoming increasingly trendy amongst some employers who 232 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,359 really don't know what they're talking about to use a person's favorite color as a 233 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:30,279 determining factor in whether or not to give the perspective employee a job. But 234 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:34,519 while it's an unreliable gauge of potential employees personality. Asking the question probably tells 235 00:20:34,559 --> 00:20:40,160 you all you really need to know about the pseudo scientific galibility of the employer. 236 00:20:41,079 --> 00:20:45,839 Tremendum from Astrans Skeptics says there's simply no scientific evidence that favorite color based 237 00:20:45,839 --> 00:20:52,440 personality tests can offer any sort of profound insight. And your character color is 238 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,920 one of those sort of personality assessment tricks. I should say. There are 239 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,519 so many of these things around to test your personality based on one criterion, 240 00:21:00,599 --> 00:21:03,440 and this one is based on what's your favorite color. Most people say that 241 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,799 you choose blue because you're happy, and red good you're dynamic or a regressive 242 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,400 or something like that. So the problem with this is it's designed to help 243 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:15,039 people decide who to actually employ based onwhat their favorite com It's crazy. There 244 00:21:15,039 --> 00:21:18,599 are so many of these things around personally sort of fort graphology has been around 245 00:21:18,599 --> 00:21:22,920 for a long time to sort of test people's handwriting and therefore get a character 246 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,440 assessment on that. It doesn't work right, that's just good, not at 247 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,200 all, not at all. It's not the same as comparing handwriting deceive if 248 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,200 it's the same person that's different different. Yeah, that's legit, But this 249 00:21:32,279 --> 00:21:34,440 is about sort of testing your personality based on your handwriting. This is even 250 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,279 worse. Actually, this is basically a complete character assessment based on a color. 251 00:21:38,319 --> 00:21:44,480 There's the more complicated personality assessment things like with the Maya Briggs whatever. 252 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,680 That one's pretty shunky too. Actually it's a bit more complicated, but it's 253 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,680 pretty much that summing up people based on a couple of criteria is probably not 254 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,319 a good idea. It certainly doesn't told me that in the room I'm in 255 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,480 right now is basically purple in color. It's called hyacinth, but it's a 256 00:21:59,519 --> 00:22:03,319 purple. And someone tell me that means you're frustrated. Really, yes, 257 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,480 apparently, there you go. But anyway, personality tests, there's a lot 258 00:22:07,519 --> 00:22:10,200 of them around. Some of them do better than others. A lot of 259 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,799 them, though, are always based on let's look at one criterion and apply 260 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,799 that to everything else about your personality. And this one about color is just 261 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:18,480 I don't know why someone sort of wants to make this up. I didn't 262 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,119 know once. We're just to work with a graphic designer who had his little 263 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,880 color charet worked out for every emotion, every tiny tonal difference between thirty five 264 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:32,799 versions of blue had a different emotional reaction. I don't know how placebo based 265 00:22:32,839 --> 00:22:36,440 it was, but when I first start out in radio, I would bring 266 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,000 a colored light into the studio with me, and depending on the color, 267 00:22:41,079 --> 00:22:45,200 that would change the way that I performed the program on that particular day. 268 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,359 It was really interesting. If I had the thing on red, then it 269 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,079 would be more dynamic and blue was more laid back. I think that's the 270 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,359 sort of thing you would say, is a suggestibility test that you are so 271 00:22:55,559 --> 00:22:56,960 you put it on blue, and then you are so it's going around the 272 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:02,160 wrong way almost and sort of the correlation calisation thing you're putting on blue means 273 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:03,799 you want to have a sublime day or something. You put it on red, 274 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,000 more dynamic, so you're reacting to the life that you put in, 275 00:23:07,079 --> 00:23:29,119 reacting emotionally rather than physically. That's timendum from Austriaian Skeptics, and that's the 276 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,960 show for now. Space Time is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through 277 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,759 Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Stitcher, Google podcast pocker Casts, Spotify, a 278 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:44,680 cast, Amazon Music, Bytes, dot Com, SoundCloud, YouTube, your 279 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,960 favorite podcast download provider, and from space Time with Stuart Gary dot com. 280 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:53,960 Space Time's also broadcast through the National Science Foundation, on Science Zone Radio and 281 00:23:55,079 --> 00:23:59,599 on both iHeartRadio and tune In Radio. 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