Why it matters: After two years of negotiations with the private sector, the European Union has signed a deal to develop and operate a homegrown alternative to satellite Internet connectivity solutions like Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. While smaller in scale, the IRIS2 constellation is expected to spark a competitive web of suppliers for space technologies in Europe. The European Union has announced it is moving forward with an ambitious space program designed to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink initiative in providing high-speed Internet connectivity to citizens, governments, and businesses in Europe. Dubbed IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), the project is an important component of the EU's space program alongside projects like Copernicus and Galileo that cover Earth observation and navigation systems. IRIS2 was first revealed in 2022 as a public-private partnership to build a homegrown encrypted communications network, free of influence from external actors like China or Elon Musk. To that end, the bloc plans to launch nearly 300 satellites into low- and medium-Earth orbits by 2030 in a deal worth €10.6 billion (~ $11.1 billion). Initially, the project had an estimated cost of €6 billion (~ $6.3 billion), a number that has only crept up during negotiations with the SpaceRISE consortium. Among those entrusted with the implementation of IRIS2 are leading satellite operators SES, Hispasat, and Eutelsat, as well as telecom and aerospace companies like Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, and OHB. As a result of the recent agreement, SpaceRISE has been given a 12-year concession contract to develop, deploy, and operate the IRIS2 satellites. The EU along with the European Space Agency will cover approximately 62 percent of the total cost, with the remainder to be paid for through private investments. The largest private contributor is French satellite operator Eutelsat, pledging no less than €2 billion (~ $2.1 billion) towards Europe's space-based network. The company hopes the IRIS2 project will help fund the development of its next-generation OneWeb satellites amid ongoing financial struggles in the face of fierce competition from Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper . "This cutting-edge constellation will protect our critical infrastructures, connect our most remote areas and increase Europe's strategic autonomy. By partnering with the SpaceRISE consortium, we are demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to all Europeans," said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. With China looking to launch a megaconstellation of 13,000 satellites, experts see efforts like IRIS2 as an increasingly important tool against the growing influence of censorship regimes in developing countries. Some argue that building more space-based connectivity could prove useful in scenarios where ground Internet infrastructure is damaged during war. Meanwhile, critics of the project believe it is little more than a subsidy program in disguise. After all, it's no secret that companies like Luxembourg-based SES, Spain's Hispasat, and France's Eutelsat are interested in using IRIS2 as a vehicle for building their own private constellations and securing additional space contracts. The same could be said of Thales and Airbus, both of which have had to downsize their space divisions. The two companies are even exploring a joint venture to compete with Starlink's relatively cheap low-Earth orbit satellites which have completely changed the market landscape in recent years to the detriment of traditional satellite makers. The same could be said of Thales and Airbus, both of which have had to downsize their space divisions. The two companies are even exploring a joint venture to compete with Starlink's relatively cheap low-Earth orbit satellites, which have completely changed the market landscape in recent years to the detriment of traditional satellite makers. Launching the IRIS2 satellites is set to begin in 2029 and will require 13 missions that will use Europe's Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket. Barring any delays, the service will be fully operational by the end of 2030.Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City, apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation's top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. But Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sharply refuted that perception after Mangione's arrest on Monday when a customer at a McDonald's restaurant in Pennsylvania spotted Mangione eating and noticed he resembled the shooting suspect in security-camera photos released by New York police. “In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.” Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather, Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday, Baltimore County police officers blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. Reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. Nick Mangione had 37 grandchildren, including Luigi, according to the grandfather's obituary. Luigi Mangione’s grandparents donated to charities through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating Nick Mangione’s wife’s death in 2023. They donated to various causes, including Catholic organizations, colleges and the arts. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesman for the lawmaker’s office confirmed. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media by Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” Mangione, who was valedictorian of his elite Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press. He learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His social media posts suggest he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends at the Jersey Shore and in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, and other destinations. The Gilman School, from which Mangione graduated in 2016, is one of Baltimore’s elite prep schools. The children of some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent residents, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., have attended the school. Its alumni include sportswriter Frank Deford and former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington. In his valedictory speech, Luigi Mangione described his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.” Mangione took a software programming internship after high school at Maryland-based video game studio Firaxis, where he fixed bugs on the hit strategy game Civilization 6, according to a LinkedIn profile. Firaxis' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said it would not comment on former employees. He more recently worked at the car-buying website TrueCar, but has not worked there since 2023, the head of the Santa Monica, California-based company confirmed to the AP. From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. “There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, including surfing, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back,” Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone's lower spine. Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. An X account linked to Mangione includes recent posts about the negative impact of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming “well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Mangione likely was motivated by his anger at what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by AP. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s handwritten notes and social media posts. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, the document said. Associated Press reporters Lea Skene in Baltimore; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Michael Kunzelman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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The Only Amazon Deals Worth Shopping This Week: Snag an Apple iPad for a Record Low!December 16, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Shinshu University Excited state dynamics are essential for understanding fluorescence properties in molecules, impacting their application in technologies. Research at Shinshu University explores how molecular structure and geometry influence light emission in aggregation-induced emission molecules. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , reveals that changes in molecular shape affect emission behavior in both solution and solid states. These insights are crucial for advancing applications like organic light-emitting diodes and bioimaging, enabling innovations in material design and energy interactions. Light emission from molecules, particularly fluorescence, has fascinated scientists for over a century, revolutionizing areas like imaging, sensing, and display technologies. Recent advancements have brought attention to aggregation-induced emission (AIE)—a unique phenomenon where molecules emit light more efficiently when in a solid or aggregated state. Studying the reaction dynamics underlying this phenomenon is thus, important for understanding the molecular structural changes. Now, in a recent study, researchers from Japan explored α-substituted dibenzoylmethanatoboron difluoride (BF 2 DBM) complexes to unravel how molecular geometry and restricted excited state dynamics influence AIE. "AIE phenomenon has only been explained by theoretical quantum chemical calculations up till now. However, in our study, we explained this phenomenon by two spectroscopies for the first time," says lead author Yushi Fujimoto, a doctoral student at the Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Japan. The study was conducted in collaboration with Osaka University and Aoyama Gakuin University. AIE is a fascinating phenomenon that challenges the conventional quenching behavior seen in many materials. Most of the time, molecules tend to lose their luminescence when aggregated due to quenching effects. Certain molecules that exhibit the AIE phenomena tend to emit light instead of dimming under restricted conditions. This happens because, in solid form, the molecules cannot move freely. These restrictions help them emit light rather than lose energy in other ways. This behavior is explained by the restricted access to conical intersection (RACI) model, which describes how structural changes in a molecule can control its ability to emit light. The researchers demonstrated this effect in synthesized molecules of BF 2 DBM derivatives, namely 2aBF 2 and 2amBF 2 , which were α-methyl-substituted derivatives. "We analyzed the AIE effects of the molecules in solids and solutions using advanced techniques like steady-state UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and time-resolved visible and infrared spectroscopy to observe the molecule's light emission behavior over time," explains Prof. Hiroshi Miyasaka, a well-known researcher from Osaka University. The first molecule, 2aBF 2 , exhibited strong fluorescence in both solution and solid states, while the second molecule, 2amBF 2 , displayed weaker fluorescence in solution but showed much brighter emission in solid form. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter— daily or weekly . Co-author Prof. Akira Sakamoto from Aoyama Gakuin University clarifies this by saying, "Spectroscopy is a letter sent from molecules. Here, the molecular shape played a crucial role, with 2amBF 2 adopting a bent configuration in solution, causing energy loss through non-radiative processes, leading to weaker fluorescence. "In solid form , the bending was restricted, forcing the molecule to maintain a stable structure that emitted light." The study also reveals that rapid changes were observed within a short time frame. In solutions, the 2amBF 2 molecules underwent shape changes within a few trillionths of a second. These quick transitions to bent shapes facilitated energy loss and suppressed fluorescence. These findings have significant implications for the future development of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and bioimaging technologies. As co-author, Prof. Fuyuki Ito points out, "The exploration of excited state dynamics is crucial for enhancing the properties of luminescent materials, which can lead to advancements in OLED applications and bioimaging." This insight emphasizes how understanding the molecular behavior in excited states can improve the performance and efficiency of these cutting-edge technologies. By leveraging advanced spectroscopy and computational tools, the work sheds new light on how molecules interact with energy, deepening our understanding of fluorescence and its practical applications. More information: Yushi Fujimoto et al, Excited State Dynamics of Geometrical Evolution of α-Substituted Dibenzoylmethanatoboron Difluoride Complex with Aggregation-Induced Emission Property, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2024). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c10277 Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society Provided by Shinshu University
Dallas Cowboys star guard Zack Martin is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders due to ankle and shoulder injuries. Martin didn't practice at all this week. He also physically struggled during Monday night's loss to the Houston Texas. Martin, who turned 34 on Wednesday, has started all 162 games played in 11 seasons with the Cowboys. He's a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a seven-time first-team All-Pro. Tight end Jake Ferguson (concussion) and safety Markquese Bell (shoulder) have been ruled out. Neither player practiced this week after being hurt against the Texans. Cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) practiced in full this week and will make his season debut. He was injured in August. Star wideout CeeDee Lamb (back/foot) was a full practice participant on Friday and is good to go. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) and receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) are among six players listed as questionable. The others are offensive tackle Chuma Edoga (toe), guard Tyler Smith (ankle/knee), defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (knee) and linebacker Nick Vigil (foot). This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.Jimmy Fallon was listening to one artist on repeat in 2024 — at least according to his Spotify Wrapped. “ Taylor Swift was my top artist,” Fallon, 50, exclusively told Us Weekly at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball on Friday, December 13. “I am a Swiftie. I’m a fan of hers since day one. I love her.” Aside from Swift, 35, Fallon revealed that his other top artists this year were Chappell Roan and The Carpenters. While clarifying that he wasn’t referring to Sabrina Carpenter , Fallon quipped that his love for the beloved ’70s band showed his age. “I mean, I took a real curve on my playlist,” Fallon said at the event, which was held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. “I let my daughters use my Spotify as well, so you can see where dad hopped in. And then The Beatles and then Paul McCartney and John Lennon . But it’s a good mix and it’s an honest mix. I didn’t make it up.” Swift was Spotify’s most-streamed global artist of the year and had the top-streamed album of the year with The Tortured Poets Department . This was Swift’s second year in a row taking home the title of top-streamed artist. Swift was also named top artist of 2024 by Apple Music, while TTPD earned the top album. She received the same accolades from Amazon Music. When he’s not listening to Swift’s discography, Fallon can be found celebrating the success of his own holiday tune . Fallon and the Jonas Brothers’ “Holiday” recently topped the Billboard charts . You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News “I never thought any of this would ever happen. I wanted to write a comedy album and I just wanted to make people laugh,” Fallon told Us . “I grew up listening to ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and Dr. Demento and all the weird comedy songs, so I wanted to make an album, and now I’m just thinking about all the little kids out there that are hearing how much fun you can have and be weird and be creative and write stuff and don’t write what anyone thinks.” Fallon noted that his lyrics came entirely from his brain — no technological assistance required. “AI could not write this, I’ll tell you that,” he quipped. “This is too weird. AI would tell you not to write this, in fact. So that’s what I’m proud of. I really spent a lot of time and work on this and I’m so proud of it. Thanks to anyone who listened to it. I’m very, very grateful.” With reporting by Molly McGuigan