Page 12 - aruba-today-20201027

A12 SCIENCE
Tuesday 27 OcTOber 2020
Moon holds more water in more places than ever thought

By MARCIA DUNN said. "Once we're on the
AP Aerospace Writer surface, we will do that ex-
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) periment."
— The moon's shadowed, For the second study, scien-
frigid nooks and crannies tists used NASA's airborne in-
may hold frozen water in frared observatory Sofia to
more places and in larger conclusively identify water
quantities than previously molecules on sunlit portions
suspected. And for the first of the moon just outside the
time, the presence of water polar regions. Most of these
on the moon's sunlit surface molecules are likely stored
has been confirmed, scien- in the voids between moon
tists reported Monday. dust and other particles
That's good news for astro- or entombed in the glassy
nauts at future lunar bases residue of of micrometeor-
who could tap into these ite impacts. In this way, the
resources for drinking and molecules can withstand
making rocket fuel. the moon's harsh environ-
While previous observations ment, scientists said.
have indicated millions of By flying 45,000 feet (18
tons of ice in the perma- kilometers) above Earth,
nently shadowed craters of the Sofia plane is above
the moon's poles, a pair of the water vapors that can
studies in the journal Nature In this Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, file photo, a nearly full moon rises, with an office building in the interfere with infrared ob-
Astronomy take the avail- foreground, in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Associated Press servations. For now, So-
ability of lunar surface wa- fia can analyze only the
ter to a new level. ball, a postdoctoral fellow — "opening up real estate These so-called cold traps moon's outermost surface,
More than 15,400 square at NASA's Goddard Space previously considered 'off get down to minus 261 de- but these water molecules
miles (40,000 square ki- Flight Center in Maryland. limits' for being bone dry," grees Fahrenheit (minus could be buried yards
lometers) of lunar terrain "To be clear, this is not pud- Hayne said in an email to 163 degrees Celsius). (meters) deep, Honniball
have the capability to trap dles of water," she stressed The Associated Press. Using data from NASA's noted. As a comparison,
water in the form of ice, at a news conference. For now, NASA said it still Lunar Reconnaissance Or- the Sahara desert has 100
according to a team led NASA's astrophysics director aims to send astronauts to biter, the researchers iden- times the amount of water
by the University of Colora- Paul Hertz said it's too soon the lunar south pole, espe- tified cold traps as small as than what Sofia detected
do's Paul Hayne. That's 20% to know whether this water cially rich in frozen water. a few yards (meters) across in the lunar soil. Scientists
more area than previous — found in and around the The White House deadline and as wide as 18 miles (30 believe all this water on the
estimates, he said. southern hemisphere's sun- is 2024. kilometers) and more, and moon came from comets,
The presence of water in lit Clavius Crater — would As for the shadowed areas used computer models to asteroids, interplanetary
sunlit surfaces had been be accessible. The surface believed to be brimming get all the way down to mi- dust, the solar wind or even
previously suggested, but could be harder there, ruin- with frozen water near the crometers in size. lunar volcanic eruptions.
not confirmed. The mole- ing wheels and drills. moon's north and south "Since the little ones are too They'll have a better idea
cules are so far apart that These latest findings, none- poles, temperatures are so small to see from orbit, de- of the sources "if we can
they are in neither liquid theless, expand the pos- low that they could hold spite being vastly more nu- get down on the surface
nor solid form, said lead sible landing spots for ro- onto the water for millions merous, we can't yet iden- and analyze samples of the
researcher Casey Honni- bots and astronauts alike or even billions of years. tify ice inside them," Hayne ice," Hayne said.q

New guidelines address rise in opioid use during pregnancy

The number of affected medication to treat opioid ance from other medical
women and infants has misuse. Two opioids, bu- groups and the U.S. gov-
increased in recent years prenorphine and metha- ernment.
but they often don't get ef- done, are effective treat- According to the federal
fective treatment, and the ments but pregnant wom- Centers for Disease Con-
pandemic may be worsen- en often face stigma in us- trol and Prevention, 7% of
ing that problem, said Dr. ing them and doctors who U.S. women reported in
Stephen Patrick, lead au- prescribe them are scarce. 2019 that they had used
thor of the academy report The academy says hospi- prescription opioids dur-
released Monday. tals should written protocols ing pregnancy. One in 5 of
"While we have been talk- for assessing and treating those women reported mis-
ing about the opioid crisis opioid-affected newborns. using the drugs while preg-
for years, pregnant women Many don't and practices nant.
and their newborns seldom vary widely. Some infants born to these
make it to the top of the Breastfeeding and other women develop symptoms
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 file photo shows an arrangement heap. Infants are receiving practices that promote of opioid withdrawal, in-
of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. variable care and not get- bonding should be en- cluding tremors, fussiness
Associated Press ting connected to servic- couraged, and parent and diarrhea.
By LINDSEY TANNER Academy of Pediatrics, es," said Patrick, a Vander- education and referral to By some U.S. estimates,
AP Medical Writer aimed at improving care bilt University pediatrician. services for affected new- nearly 80 affected infants
Opioid use in pregnancy for women and newborns The academy's report says borns should be provided, are diagnosed every day
has prompted new guid- affected by their mothers' pregnant women should the academy says. Its rec- on and the numbers have
ance from the American drug use. have access to opioid ommendations echo guid- tripled in recent years.q