Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

As many as 350 patients are dying due to lack of ICU capacity’ says Sligo Consultant

IRELAND SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON HEALTH BUT OUTCOMES ARE CONSISTENTLY POOR, A CONFERENCE IS TOLD

   

UP TO 350 PATIENTS ARE DYING EACH YEAR AS A RESULT OF CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS, THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE IRISH HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION HAS BEEN TOLD.

Dr Fergal Hickey, consultant in emergency medicine at Sligo General Hospital, also said that capacity deficits in neurosurgery was leading to deaths that could be avoided or disability that could be avoided.

He said Ireland was spending a lot of money on the health service. He said he was not arguing that more money was not needed, but rather he wanted to highlight that the country was not getting good outcomes from the funding currently being provided to the health service.

Dr Hickey said OECD figures showed that Ireland was one of the top-spending countries on health but that outcomes were “quite consistently poor”.

“Most of this comes down at the end of the day to severe capital under-investment. We have a history of dreadful decision making and very politicised decision making.”

He said when the Fine Gael/Labour coalition came to power one of the first things it did was to change the HSE capital plan to include new emergency departments and ancillary services in Kilkenny and Wexford to facilitate two Government ministers. He said both locations needed new emergency departments and other facilities but they probably didn’t have the greatest need.

Dr Hickey told the conference that “we should stop lusting after false gods” including that much more work can be performed in primary care.

“It can’t and it won’t,” he said.

He said the other false god was that if additional doors into the hospital were created that this would in some way improve capacity.

The eighth amendment is precious and wonderful so says Archbishop Martin

EAMON MARTIN CALLS ON POLITICIANS NOT TO LEAVE THEIR CATHOLIC FAITH OUTSIDE DOOR

   

EAMON MARTIN SAID THE CHURCH WOULD CALL ON POLITICIANS NOT TO LEAVE THEIR CATHOLIC FAITH OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR WHEN IT CAME TO ISSUES OF PUBLIC POLICY.

The eighth amendment to the Constitution has been described as “something precious and wonderful’’ by the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin.

“It is a very clear statement at the foundation and sub-structure of our laws that everyone has an equal right to life… the mother, an elderly person who is terminally ill, and the unborn child,’’ he said.

In an interview on the RTÉ Radio programme This Week, Dr Martin said it was “gravely wrong’’ to believe that the life of any human being could be taken at any stage.

He said the decision to have a referendum was not a matter for the Catholic Church.

“We would wonder if this is really the big issue that people on the doorsteps want to talk about,’’ he added.

“There are many issues in this country at the moment about tax, about water charges, about jobs, and we are aware, of course, there are sections of society who are calling for a referendum.”

Asked if it was possible to be a Catholic and support abortion in certain circumstances, Dr Martin replied: “I think if you are a Catholic who wishes to be informed by the teaching of your Church, you will not find in the teaching of the Church a statement that says you can support the deliberate and intentional taking of human life at any stage.’’

Dr Martin said the Church would call on politicians not to leave their Catholic faith outside of the door when it came to issues of public policy.

He said the Church had not been asked to fund any particular group in the campaign to repeal the amendment, although it knew there were many people working in the area of pro-life who felt they were powerless, particularly when they said there were huge amounts of money coming into other groups advocating a repeal of the eight amendment.

A citizens’ assembly, which will first consider a possible referendum on the Eighth Amendment, meets in Dublin Castle on October 15th.

It will look at the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution which, as article 40.3.3, underpins Ireland’s strict abortion laws. It will be chaired by Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy.

Government sources do not expect it to return with its recommendations until towards the end of the first half of 2017.

The Irish health service needs the equivalent of six extra large hospitals?

   

MEDICAL CONSULTANTS SAY THE HEALTH SERVICE NEEDS THE EQUIVALENT OF SIX EXTRA LARGE HOSPITALS.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says hundreds more acute beds are needed to bring the service to an “internationally acceptable” level.

The IHCA is holding its annual conference in Kilkenny today.

Association President, Dr Tom Ryan claims hospital overcrowding has an impact on patient safety:” Internationally hospitals would operate at 80% capacity, and this is done in the interests of public safety and in the interests of cost effectiveness.

“Irish hospitals operate at about 95% occupancy and this has obvious implications on patient safety, it is difficult to control infections.”

Meanwhile:–

Ireland very lucky to have avoided winter healthcare calamity?

THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL HOSPITAL BEDS NEEDED, IRISH HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION SAYS

    

Above pictured L to R are the outgoing IHCA President Dr Gerard Crotty with the incoming President Dr Tom Ryan, Consultant in Intensive Care and Anaesthesia, SJH, and newly elected Vice President, Dr Roy Browne, Consultant Psychiatrist, Phoenix Care Centre

 IRELAND HAS BEEN LUCKY SO FAR TO HAVE AVOIDED A MAJOR HEALTHCARE CALAMITY DURING SURGES IN ACTIVITY IN HOSPITALS IN WINTER, THE PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION HAS SAID.

Ireland has been lucky so far to have avoided a major healthcare calamity during surges in activity in hospitals in winter, the president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association has said.

In an address to his organisation’s annual conference in Kilkenny Dr Thomas Ryan warned that while the country had been fortunate to date, that luck might not hold out. He called for a massive expansion in the number of hospital beds and a significant increase in the number of consultants.

“The longer the current model of healthcare continues, the more likely we are to encounter a major winter-time calamity.”

Dr Ryan said the number of additional acute hospital beds that were required to provide an internationally acceptable health service in Ireland is equivalent to six large hospitals such as the Mater University Hospital or Cork University Hospital or Galway University Hospital.

He said because of existing capacity deficits, “the public is being forced to accept healthcare rationing as hospitals continue to prioritise balancing inadequate budgets, with the provision of safe and timely care for patients being relegated to a secondary consideration”.

Dr Ryan said there were too few acute beds open in Irish hospitals and that of those that were available, as many as 500 – 600 were occupied by patients who had completed the clinical phase of their treatment and who were ready for discharge.

He said the shortage of accessible acute hospital beds was “the root cause of the trolley crisis in emergency departments countrywide.”

He forecast that the trolley crisis would worsen this winter as it had for well over a decade.

He said it was a reflection of a failing hospital system.

“As many as five per cent of our acute hospital beds are not accessible to treat acute patients awaiting admission and care. These clinically-discharged patients reside in acute hospitals as a direct consequence of the lack of funding for home care packages, nursing home beds and specialist rehab beds.”

Dr Ryan also said there were insufficient consultants working in Irish hospitals.

“We are short consultants in practically all specialties with about two-thirds the number of consultants recommended in the Hanly report in 2003.”

“However since the Hanly report, the Irish population has increased at a faster pace than anticipated and the demand for care has grown significantly.”

“The public has become immune to never-ending stories on the ‘crisis’ in our acute hospitals. However the many unresolved problems in our hospitals are now at such a critical level that patient safety is compromised on a daily basis. Many of our hospitals are running at an internationally unacceptable occupancy rate of more than 95per cent which has an adverse impact on patient safety.”

“We have a failing hospital system which is rationing healthcare to patients. The reductions in acute hospital and ICU beds and the cumulative cuts in investment for equipment and infrastructure have resulted in a stark mismatch between patient needs for care and the means to deliver it. When the first priority of a hospital is to be ‘within budget’, then the result is longer waiting lists, the trolley crises, overcrowding, cancellation of essential surgery and poor patient safety and care.”

Dr Ryan said there was an urgent neeed to strengthen healthcare governance.

“There is an urgent need to strengthen healthcare governance in Ireland. Patient safety should be the first priority in all our hospitals and therefore each hospital and Community Healthcare Organisation should have a board, which includes patient representatives, GPs and practising consultants to which the management is accountable. This is not the case at the moment”, said Dr Ryan

Your hangover cures & How to beat the morning after blues using the contents of your cupboard

  

IT’S BEEN A HEAVY NIGHT AND THE MORNING FEELS EVEN HEAVIER. BUT HELP IS AT HAND AND NOW IT IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK? IF YOU ARE SOBER ENOUGH MAYBE YOUR KITCHEN HAS THE ANSWER?

Last night was so fantastic that being able to remember it it would only tarnish the beautiful memory.

This morning, however, you’re wishing your whole sorry existence could be wiped away as easily as your recollections of every conversation from yesterday’s evening of fun.

Happily, help might be closer than you think.

Inside your cupboard are lurking various yucky, half forgotten items that might just cure that hangover you’ve been clobbered with.

Here are some of the household goods which might just cure your your post-booze blues.

What about Sprite?  

Chinese researchers recently claimed this lemon and lime fizz helped drinkers’ bodies process alcohol more efficiently

Chinese researchers recently claimed this lemon and lime fizz helped drinkers’ bodies process alcohol more efficiently.

The booze analysts examined the effects of 57 drinks and found that Sprite was the best at beating the morning after blues.

Sprite is said to boost the body’s ability to remove a chemical called acetaldehyde, which which is produced when alcohol is broken down and causes many of the symptoms of a hangover.

Pickle juice? 

The salt and vinegar reportedly restore the levels of electrolytes.

This isn’t going to be the tastiest of hangover cures, but bear with us.

If you take a swig from the pickle jar, the salt and vinegar reportedly restore the levels of electrolytes.

This means a quick shot of brine will leave you feeling hydrated – but probably even more sick than before.

And then theres Espresso coffee?   

Coffee dilates blood vessels in the brain, which could make headaches disappear.

Italian people think the best way to combat a hangover is to knock back a load of super strong espressos.

Their thinking relies on the fact that coffee dilates blood vessels in the brain, which could make headaches disappear.

But it could give everyone around you a sore head when you subject them to your hyper-caffeinated babbling.

Beer what ?????    

Some scientists think a small drink can help the body removes toxic by-products

In Denmark, they call a hair of the dog brew a “Reparationsbajer”, or repair beer, because it makes you feel better after a night on the booze.

Some scientists think a small drink can help the body removes toxic by-products from several drinks consumed the night before.

However, drinking on a daily basis is a surefire way to stumble into alcoholism, which will mean you pretty much always have a hangover.

What about lemon?  

Rubbing a lemon into your armpit whilst drinking could prevent the next morning becoming a nightmare.

Don’t bother trying to squeeze this lemon, because that’s not what the cure is based on.

Puerto Ricans reportedly believe that rubbing a lemon into your armpit whilst drinking could prevent the next morning becoming a nightmare.

And it makes you smell nice, which is probably the only scientifically proven part of this remedy.

Some raw eggs.  

A Prairie Oyster involves mixing an egg yolk with Worcestershire sauce as well as salt and pepper

A classic hangover cure called a Prairie Oyster involves mixing an egg yolk with Worcestershire sauce as well as salt and pepper.

This should then be swallowed whole, taking care not to break the egg.

However, this cure is not recommended for pregnant women – or anyone else for that matter.

Check out our top tips for seeing and photographing the Aurora in Northern Ireland

    

PHOTOGRAPHING THE AURORA BOREALIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS ON MANY PEOPLE’S BUCKET LIST AND THE GUYS AT NORTH COAST AURORA WATCH HAVE GIVEN US SOME TOP TIPS ON SNAPPING THE PHENOMENON

The aurora taken from Cave Hill Belfast with photographer Marty McClinton in the foreground

The Aurora Borealis, or as they are sometimes better known as, the Northern Lights, have once again been providing a light show above the skies of Northern Ireland .

Spectacular photographs of the solar phenomenon have recently been shared on numerous timelines, but how do you know when it’s going to appear and how do you capture it for posterity?

North Coast Aurora Watch, a Facebook page started by Ron Kelly, dedicated to providing real time alerts in the event of an aurora display along the North Coast gave us some of their top tips and information as to the best places from where to see and photograph this wonderful sight!

1. Follow North Coast Aurora Watch and check the Aurora activity. The main things to look for are the KP value (the higher the value, the further south the lights could possibly be seen) and Bz value (the direction of the Earths Magnetic Field)
2. Get yourself a DSLR camera that has a manual mode and a tripod – the tripod needs to be sturdy and tall.

The northern lights taken at Dunluce Castle, 

3. Find a good spot – This can be as simple as looking on Google earth or looking up historical buildings in your area or by asking other Aurora Hunters. It is usually better to find somewhere with little or no ambient lighting.

On the North Coast, there are a few main sites that are used – Dunluce Castle, Mussenden Temple, Kinbane Castle Gortmore Viewpoint and Ballintoy. However, there are many more across the Province and probably some have yet to be photographed

4. Get your camera settings right – The camera itself needs to have a manual mode, where you can adjust the ISO. You need to be able to shoot a long exposure, ideally 30 seconds. A low F ratio (ratio of the lens’s focal length to the diameter of the entrance pupil) is also good, most 18-55mm standard lenses comes normally with a lower f ratio of 3.5, other lenses go lower. A wide angle lens is preferable.

Focus is a big thing. Focus your lens to infinity then bring it back very slightly. This can sometimes be difficult to do at night. A tip is to focus your camera during the dusk on a far away light, then use a piece of tape to hold the focus ring on the lens to the body keeping it in place. All other settings can be adjusted while you are out hunting.

The aurora at Ballintoy harbour, a favourite with Games of Thrones fans, 

5. Safety is a priority. Aurora hunters go to the darkest places, in an attempt to avoid light pollution. You could find yourself standing near a cliff edge, close to crashing waves, in a field in the middle of nowhere. Always tell someone where you are going.
6. Dress for the conditions. Warm clothes have to be worn because the aurora season is generally in the winter because of the longer nights. Warm clothing also includes a good pair of walking boots.
7. Be prepared with equipment – Bring spare batteries, you could be out for quite a while and you never know how many photographs you are going to take. Bring a good, bright torch and if possible, have a red lens cover for the torch. Red light doesn’t affect your night vision as much as white light.
8. Check the levels again then get on the road. Don’t forget, stay in contact with someone.

With over 10,000 followers since North Coast Aurora Watch started in 2014 there is no doubting the tremendous local interest in the northern lights.

Aurora photograph taken from Ballykelly in Co Londonderry looking over Lough Foyle towards Co Donegal.

“This page wouldn’t be what it is without the input from our followers,” said Chris, one of the page’s administrators.

“We go mainly on live sightings from wherever our followers are so we couldn’t do it without them.

“The great thing is we have followers with some knowledge who also help out new aurora hunters with settings and locations which enables us to share this fantastic spectacle.”

“However, you don’t always need a camera to see the spectacle. If it’s strong enough, you can sometimes see it with the naked eye.”    

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

‘We didn’t all party’ The banking inquiry is told today

 

The €440bn 2008 blanket bank guarantee was the culmination of several years of mistakes being made, but not just by the government, the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry has been told.

At its first public hearing this morning, Finnish academic Peter Nyberg said Ireland was gripped by “real estate mania” in the last decade, but this was not a phenomenon limited to Ireland.

Asked did he share the view that we as a country “all partied,” he said a lot of people in many different ways enjoyed benefits from the bubble.

“That doesn’t mean that they partied, but it does mean that in the boom and the bubble their lives felt much better than they would have been,” he said.

Ireland’s banking crisis was systemic but was not unique, the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry’s first witness has said.

Irish banks were “pretty good” at misjudging the risk of their lending policies, Mr Nyberg said.

“Judging from the consequences which were larger in Ireland than anywhere else, the Irish institutions were pretty good at misjudging risk,” he said.

In relation to the decision by the Fianna Fáil-led government to issue the €440bn blanket bank guarantee, Mr Nyberg said it was the culmination of years of mistakes.

“It was the culmination of a lot of mistakes that were made several years before and not only by the government,” he said.

He told the inquiry that the guarantee is “not surrounded by a lot of documentation.

He added there were efforts in the last minute, in the Department of Finance, to get legislation sorted to deal with banks in an orderly way, but said ultimately that was not possible given the scale of what happened in September 2008.

 He said a lot of people had “increased joy” as long as the bubble had lasted.

Under questions from Chairman Ciaran Lynch, Mr Nyberg said that even several months after the guarantee, PWC even concluded the banks were solvent at the time of guarantee.

He said the Government assumed the banks were solvent and that their cash flow problems were temporary.

He said given the pressure on Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan at the time, he said it was understandable why they saw “no workable alternative to the guarantee”.

“This does not imply that it was objectively the best decision possible under any set of circumstances, however a decision had to be made with only the knowledge and preparations available at the time, and had to be be made fast,” he said.

THE ECONOMY

Mr Nyberg, said by the time 2009 came around, the economy turned out much worse than expected.

In relation to the banks’ external auditors, Mr Nyberg said they did warn their clients of problems to come, and they did discharge the checking of historic accounts.

“The question is was it enough? That is for the inquiry to decide,” he said.

During his opening address, Mr Nyberg said the Irish crisis was not unique and was similar to other crises elsewhere.

He said his 2011 report into the crash was about the why of the crisis and not the who. He said his report was not required to name names, and he decided not to do so.

Are technology-free bedrooms the key to a successful relationship?

  

Researchers believe finding a balance between your gadgets and other half is the secret to happiness.

“Engaging in technology separate to a partner while in the presence of them encourages a disconnection rather than a connection,” according to Prof Christina Leggett.

Sound the alarm: the good old-fashioned relationship is under attack from technology. That seems to be the message from a growing body of psychology research examining how technology is affecting our love lives and friendships.

For many couples, technology is a double-edged sword. The “his” and “hers” towels have been replaced by smartphones that allow people to stay tethered all day, whether it’s to share shopping lists or heart-shaped emoji.

But those same couples get into tiffs when one person pulls out a mobile phone at dinner or clicks on the iPad before bed, forgoing pillow talk for Twitter.

A study published last month in The International Journal of Neuropsychotherapy, for example, found that when one person in a relationship is using some form of technology more than the other, it makes the second person feel ignored and insecure. Or as your therapist may say, it brings up a whole lot of abandonment issues.

“Engaging in technology separate to a partner while in the presence of them encourages a disconnection rather than a connection,” said Christina Leggett, a senior researcher at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, who wrote the study with Pieter J Rossouw, a professor there.

“Disconnection in relationships tends to lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and comprises an individual’s sense of safety, attachment and control.”

Recent research

In a study published this year, Pew Research found that 25 per cent of mobile phone users in a relationship believed that their partner was distracted by that person’s mobile phone when they were together.

Eight per cent said they had argued about how much time one party spends online. In 2013, a study by Brigham Young University researchers concluded that texting too much within a relationship could leave partners very dissatisfied with their overall communication.

(Saying “sorry” over text in an argument only made things worse, the same study found.) And in 2012, researchers at the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business found that paying too much attention to a mobile phone could ruin relationships with loved ones and friends.

“Phubbing your significant other by giving precedence to your phone activities over paying attention to your significant other is a path to strained relationships,” James Roberts, a professor at Baylor who wrote the 2012 study, wrote in an email, using the shorthand term for “phone snubbing”.

“When one or both people in a couple overuse (variously defined) their cellphone, or other technology, it is likely to undermine their relationship.”

One way to find a balance, according to researchers I spoke with, is to organise device-free outings with your significant other.

That could include weekend hikes in areas without cell service or leaving phones at home during brunch. (Sorry: that means you won’t be able to Instagram your eggs Benedict.)

At home, where it’s more difficult to escape the clutches of tech, researchers suggested setting up gadget-free zones, where laptops, iPads and other devices are banned.

Party time is here:- How to avoid that hangover?

  

Party season is upon us, which means late nights, drinking, dancing til dawn and most likely dealing with a stinking hangover the next day. Symptoms include feeling thirsty, extra sensitive to light, nauseous, unable to concentrate, dizzy, achy, sleepy, depressed and no doubt irritable.

Our body clearly doesn’t like having alcohol pumped into it, and this is partly due to the fact that ethanol, the psychoactive substance in it, affects almost every transmit signal system in the brain. Ethanol also affects the excitatory glutamate and the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA. This breaks down simply as: feeling drunk is partly a product of glutamate’s activities being suppressed and GABA’s activity increasing.

But the symptoms don’t just come from your brain. Your liver also takes a massive hit when you consume alcohol as it has to process acetaldehyde, a toxin that’s created when we digest alcohol. Using two enzymes and the antioxidant glutathione, the liver is able to break down acetaldehyde pretty efficiently. But it’s not all good news, as the body only has a limited amount of glutathione and so while the liver works to produce more, the toxins linger in the liver and begin to cause damage.

Now we’re not trying to be a Christmas party Scrooge, just giving you a heads up. Here are our top tips to have a good time without suffering too much the next day.

Try having a green day: This involves making sure everything you put in your mouth is green, such as kale, greens, spinach, broccoli, avocados, green apples, green juices, etc. Eating green offers a hefty source of antioxidants, boosts your immune system and is low in calories to counterbalance any excess from your evening out.

Dance the night away: Don’t sit on the sidelines; get out on the dance floor and bust a move. You’ll burn calories (up to 250 in 30 minutes), flush the booze and food through your system and release some serious feel-good endorphins.

Fill up on fibre: Make sure you’re getting enough healthy fibre to help cleanse your bowels and aid digestion before a period of festive eating and drinking.

Almost 500,000 calls to Samaritans in busiest year

 

Charity says callers starting to see contact as first port of call rather than last resort.

The number of calls to Samaritans has increased by 52% since the charity introduced a free phone line in March.

Mental health charity Samaritans recorded its busiest ever year in 2014 after it introduced a free phone service.

The organisation answered more than 470,000 phone calls, 12,000 emails and 8,000 text messages over the past 12 months, according to its Impact Report for Ireland.

Executive director of Samaritans Ireland Catherine Brogan said there is no longer a barrier to contacting the charity. “Since we removed the significant cost of a phone call . . . there is no longer a barrier for anyone who is struggling to cope to contact us any time of the day or night.”

The organisation previously operated a low-cost number but a deal negotiated with the telecommunications industry, the Government and the National Office for Suicide Prevention now enables people to get in touch for free. The charity experienced a 52% increase in calls since the switch in March.

Samaritans received an average of 1,310 contacts a day in the 12 months from October 2013 to September 2014, an increase of 266 calls a day on average compared to the previous year.

M/s Brogan said callers are also starting to contact the charity sooner. “People are beginning to see us as their first port of call,” she said. “People don’t have to be suicidal to contact us.”

About 70% of the calls come from mobile phones and the issues raised have remained consistent over the years: financial issues, family problems, loneliness and anxiety.

One volunteer said they receive a lot of calls from elderly people in particular around Christmas time. “They could be waiting for their children to get in touch with them but they don’t – so they feel lonely,” she said.

Minister of State with responsibility for mental health Kathleen Lynch said the benefits of switching to a free phone number were clear. “I hope that the telecoms industry now recognise the benefit of that partnership,” she said.

The increase in calls to the charity also highlights “the great need that is out there” for mental health support, she said. Samaritans can be contacted over the phone on 116 123 or at http://www.samaritans.ie

The ten “Cutest” adorable animal story discoveries of 2014

  

If the journal Nature’s top 10 “cutest” animal stories of the year is any indication, cuteness is in the eye of the beholder. A Spider? Swarming robots? Urinating dogs?

Perhaps stringing together ten stories about furry animals not engaged in excretion would be cloying. Still, a couple of the cuddly critters performed some extraordinary feats. An experiment in marmosets, for example, demonstrated that these little monkeys can learn new skills by watching how-to videos starring other marmosets.

Another story involved a fake baby penguin on a mechanical rover. Scientists designed the cute contraption to monitor tagged penguins without stressing them out. They found penguins were less frightened of a mechanical rover than they were of approaching humans. The penguins were even calmer and even downright friendly to a rover disguised it as one of those pudgy, downy penguin chicks. Something like this could be a good strategy for the designers of Amazon’s delivery drones.

Stretching the definitions of cute and animal was a Harvard-designed swarm of coin-sized robots called Kilobots. Like insects, each had relatively low-level capabilities, but as a collective group, they could follow simple rules to form elaborate patterns including the letter K and a star. In a news story in Nature, the researchers say they imagine the technology could be a step toward real-life Transformers. It’s not clear if this is really cute, but if the Harvard researchers could program the kilobots to form a perfect replicate of Mark Wahlberg, they’d have a good case.

New theories that could increase the number of hospitable planets

  

New theories could increase number of hospitable planets

The number of planets that could be hospitable to life just received a boost after scientists have come to the conclusion life could exist on a planet with a tilted-axis after all.

Astrophysicists have for years gone by the theory that any planet whose obliquity – the angle of its axis relative to its orbit around a star – was on a particularly high scale, such as one whose axis is tilted on its side, was unsuitable to harbour life.

In comparison, Earth has a low obliquity as our planet’s axis is almost perpendicular to the sun which gave rise to science’s current understanding, according to Phys.org.

However, a new paper published by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) now suggests that planets with even the highest obliquity could harbour life as we would understand it, as long as the planet is entirely covered by an ocean.

In their research model, co-authors of the paper, David Ferreira and Sara Seager, created a digital planet similar in size to Earth, entirely covered in water and with an axis at a 90 degrees which would take into account the planet’s atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice, as well as the effects of winds and heat.

Planets with oceans as low as 50m hospitable

Tested across planets with ocean depth of between 10m and 3,000m, the results show that from a depth of 50m, planets could absorb enough solar energy during its yearly cycle to support a relatively mild climate.

The new findings still managed to prove the previous theory correct, at least with regard to planets whose ocean is at a depth of just 10m as the six months that each pole would spend in its star’s shadow would send it into a deep freeze and become an ice planet.

However, Darren Williams, a professor of physics and astronomy at Pennsylvania State University in the US says the researchers’ findings only affect a minute percentage of possible planets, “There are one or two terrestrial-sized exoplanets out of a thousand that appear to have densities comparable to water, so the probability of an all-water planet is at least 0.1%.

“The upshot of all this is that exoplanets at high obliquity are not necessarily devoid of life, and are therefore just as interesting and important to the astrobiology community.”