An international team of astronomers used ALMA to capture high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks in the Sigma Orionis cluster, which is irradiated by intense ultraviolet light from a massive nearby star. To their surprise, they found evidence of gaps and rings in most of the disks—structures commonly associated with the formation of giant planets, like Jupiter.
OAS and AUI Launch Project to Improve Access to Educational Resources for Persons with Disabilities
Recent News
Astronomers Discover New Building Blocks for Complex Organic Matter
There should be a lot of carbon in space, but surprisingly, it’s not always easy to find. While it can be observed in many places, it doesn’t add up to the volume astronomers would expect to see. The discovery of a new, complex molecule (1-cyanopyrene), challenges these expectations, about where the building blocks for carbon are found, and how they evolve.
Massive Stars Born from Violent Cosmic Collapse
An international team of astronomers has observed evidence that massive stars can be born from rapidly collapsing clouds of gas and dust, challenging long-held assumptions about star formation.
OAS and AUI Launch Project to Improve Access to Educational Resources for Persons with Disabilities
The Organization of American States (OAS) and Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) are launching a joint project to create an online repository of resources that make teaching and learning more accessible for persons with disabilities.
The launch of the project includes a three-month survey of those who produce or use existing teaching and learning resources for persons with disabilities. The OAS, through its Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, and AUI will use the results of the survey to develop a searchable resource portal accessible to the public by end of summer 2020.
The project responds to the situation facing persons with disabilities in educational systems in the Americas, in which many are segregated, rejected, objectified, ignored and/or left behind. According to UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Bank studies, on average only 20% of children and young persons with disabilities attend school worldwide. In the Americas, seven out of ten children with disabilities do not attend school, and more than 8 million are at risk of being excluded from the system. This constitutes a systematic violation of the right to education. Through this project OAS and AUI will raise awareness of, and increase access to teaching and learning resources for this vulnerable community.
Recent News
ALMA Reveals Planets Can Form Under Harsh Radiation
An international team of astronomers used ALMA to capture high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks in the Sigma Orionis cluster, which is irradiated by intense ultraviolet light from a massive nearby star. To their surprise, they found evidence of gaps and rings in most of the disks—structures commonly associated with the formation of giant planets, like Jupiter.
Astronomers Discover New Building Blocks for Complex Organic Matter
There should be a lot of carbon in space, but surprisingly, it’s not always easy to find. While it can be observed in many places, it doesn’t add up to the volume astronomers would expect to see. The discovery of a new, complex molecule (1-cyanopyrene), challenges these expectations, about where the building blocks for carbon are found, and how they evolve.
Massive Stars Born from Violent Cosmic Collapse
An international team of astronomers has observed evidence that massive stars can be born from rapidly collapsing clouds of gas and dust, challenging long-held assumptions about star formation.