This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features
the spiral galaxy NGC 5668.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick
This NASA/ESA Hubble
Space Telescope image features a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo named NGC
5668. It is relatively near to us at 90 million light-years from Earth and
quite accessible for astronomers to study with both space- and ground-based
telescopes. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a remarkable galaxy. It is
around 90,000 light-years across, similar in size and mass to our own Milky Way
galaxy, and its nearly face-on orientation shows open spiral arms made of
cloudy, irregular patches.
One noticeable difference between
the Milky Way galaxy and NGC 5668 is that this galaxy is forming new stars 60%
more quickly. Astronomers have identified two main drivers of star formation in
NGC 5668. Firstly, this high-quality Hubble view reveals a bar at the galaxy’s
center, though it might look more like a slight oval shape than a real bar. The
bar appears to have affected the galaxy’s star formation rate, as central bars
do in many spiral galaxies. Secondly, astronomers tracked high-velocity clouds
of hydrogen gas moving vertically between the disk of the galaxy and the
spherical, faint halo which surrounds it. These movements may be the result of
strong stellar winds from hot, massive stars, that would contribute gas to new
star-forming regions.
The enhanced star formation rate in
NGC 5668 comes with a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions.
Astronomers have spotted three in the galaxy, in 1952, 1954, and 2004. In this
image, Hubble examined the surroundings of the Type II SN 2004G, seeking to
study the kinds of stars that end their lives as this kind of supernova.
NASA Hubble Mission Team, Goddard Space Flight
Center
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis:
clothespin. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
It is the
first magnetically controlled prosthetic hand that allows amputees to reproduce
all movements simply by thinking and to control the force applied when grasping
fragile objects. No wires, no electrical connection, only magnets and muscles
to control the movements of the fingers and enable everyday activities such as
opening a jar, using a screwdriver, picking up a coin.
A research team from the BioRobotics Institute of the
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, coordinated by Prof. Christian Cipriani,
has developed a radically new interface between the residual arm of the amputee
and the robotic hand to decode motor intentions.
The system involves implanting small magnets into the
muscles of the forearm. The implant, integrated with the Mia-Hand robotic hand
developed by the spin-off Prensilia, was successfully tested on the first
patient, a 34-year-old Italian named Daniel, who used the prosthesis for six
weeks.
The results of the trial were presented in the journal Science
Robotics and represent a significant step forward for the future of
prostheses.
"This result rewards a decades-long research
path. We have finally developed a functional prosthesis that meets the needs of
a person who has lost a hand," says Christian Cipriani, professor at the
BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna.
Documentary on the study published in Science
Robotics. Interview with Christian Cipriani, scientific head of the
project, Dr. Lorenzo Andreani, Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2 Operative Unit,
and the patient. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Myokinetic control for the development of a natural
prosthesis
Myokinetic control is the decoding of motor intentions by means of
implantable magnets in the muscles. This is the frontier explored by the
research team of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna to revolutionize the future of
prostheses.
The idea behind the new interface, developed as part of the MYKI
project, is to use small magnets, a few millimeters in size, to be implanted in
the residual muscles of the amputated arm and use the movement resulting from
contraction to open and close the fingers.
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis: grip on
bottle. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
"There are 20 muscles in the forearm and many of them control the hand
movements. Many people who have lost a hand keep on feeling it as if it is
still in place and the residual muscles move in response to the commands from
the brain," Cipriani explains.
The research team mapped the movements and translated them into signals to
guide the fingers of the robotic hand. The magnets have a natural magnetic
field that can be easily localized in space. When the muscle contracts, the
magnet moves and a special algorithm translates this change into a specific
command for the robotic hand.
The first patient to test the new prosthesis
Daniel lost his left hand in September 2022: "I suddenly found myself
without a hand: one moment I had it and the next moment it was gone." He
was selected as a volunteer for the study because he still felt the presence of
his hand and the residual muscles in his arm responded to his movement
intentions.
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis: handshake.
Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
In April 2023,
Daniel underwent surgery to implant magnets in his arm. The surgery was carried
out at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), thanks to the
collaboration of a team coordinated by Dr. Lorenzo Andreani of the Orthopedics
and Traumatology 2 Operative Unit, Dr. Manuela Nicastro of the Anesthesia and
Reanimation Orthopedics and Burns Center unit, and Dr. Carmelo Chisari of the
Neurorehabilitation unit.
"This is a significant advancement in the field
of advanced prosthetic medicine," says Dr. Lorenzo Andreani.
"The surgery was successful thanks to a careful
patient selection process based on strict criteria. One of the most complex
challenges was identifying the residual muscles in the amputation area, which
were precisely selected using preoperative MRI imaging and electromyography.
However, the actual condition of the tissue, due to scarring and fibrosis,
required intraoperative adaptation.
"Despite these difficulties, we were able to
complete the implant and establish the connections—a success that would have
been impossible without the collaboration of an exceptional team, whom I would
like to thank.
"Starting with Dr. Manuela Nicastro, head of
anesthesia, to the nurses who worked with dedication and professionalism,
contributing decisively to the positive outcome of the operation, which
represents an important step forward in medical research."
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis: patient
pours water into a glass. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Six magnets
were implanted in Daniel's arm. For each one, the team of surgeons and doctors
located and isolated the muscle, positioned the magnet and checked that the magnetic field was oriented
in the same way.
"To make the connection between the residual arm
where the magnets were implanted and the robotic hand easier, we made a carbon fiber prosthetic socket containing the electronic system capable of
localizing the movement of the magnets," Cipriani explains.
The results of the experiment went far beyond the most
optimistic expectations. Daniel was able to control the movements of his
fingers, pick up and move objects of different shapes, perform classic everyday
actions such as opening a jar, using a screwdriver, cutting with a knife,
closing a zip; he was also able to control the force when he had to grasp
fragile objects.
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis: patient
opens a jar. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Experimental tests on robotic prosthesis: patient
grasps a plastic cup. Credit: 2024 Scuola Superiore
"This
system allowed me to recover lost sensations and emotions: it feels like I'm
moving my own hand," says Daniel.
"To see the work of years of research realized in
this study was a great emotion. Working together with Daniel has given us the
awareness that we can do a lot to improve his life and the lives of many other
people. This is the greatest motivation that drives us to continue our work and
to always do better," explains Marta Gherardini, assistant professor at
the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and first author of the study.
"We are ready to extend these results to a
broader range of amputations," Cipriani concludes. "In fact, our work
on this new implant is going ahead thanks to European and national
funding."
Andromeda III is one of at least 13 dwarf satellite
galaxies in orbit around the Andromeda galaxy, or Messier 31, the Milky Way’s
closest grand spiral galactic neighbor.
NASA, ESA, and E. Skillman (University of Minnesota -
Twin Cities; Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Andromeda III is one of at least 13
dwarf satellite galaxies in orbit around the Andromeda galaxy, or Messier 31,
the Milky Way’s closest grand spiral galactic neighbor. Andromeda III is a
faint, spheroidal collection of old, reddish stars that appears devoid of new
star formation and younger stars. In fact, Andromeda III seems to be only about
3 billion years younger than the majority of globular clusters ― dense knots of
stars thought to have been mostly born at the same time, which contain some of
the oldest stars known in the universe.
Astronomers suspect that dwarf spheroidal galaxies may be leftovers of
the kind of cosmic objects that were shredded and melded by gravitational
interactions to build the halos of large galaxies. Curiously, studies have
found that several of the Andromeda Galaxy’s dwarf galaxies, including
Andromeda III, orbit in a flat plane around the galaxy, like the planets in our
solar system orbit around the Sun. The alignment is puzzling because models of
galaxy formation don’t show dwarf galaxies falling into such orderly
formations, but rather moving around the galaxy randomly in all directions. As
they slowly lose energy, the dwarf galaxies merge into the larger galaxy.
The odd alignment could be because many of Andromeda’s dwarf galaxies
fell into orbit around it as a single group, or because the dwarf galaxies are
scraps left over from the merger of two larger galaxies. Either of these
theories, which are being researched via NASA's
James Webb Space Telescope, would complicate
theories of galaxy formation but also help guide and refine future
models.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope took this image of Andromeda III as part
of an investigation into the star formation and chemical enrichment histories
of a sample of M31 dwarf spheroidal galaxies that compared their first episodes
of star formation to those of Milky Way satellite galaxies.
By:
NASA Hubble Mission Team, Goddard
Space Flight Center
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