#2 : New planet, Eating slowly and Ocean’s level rising

Discover 3 recent science news in our #PeerusWhatsNew, now on Medium.

1 Astronomers are convinced that there is a 9th planet in the Solar System. It would be an ice giant, like Neptune. It is currently in the furthest region from the Sun. It would take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete its orbit around the Sun.

According to researchers, several objects in orbit from the Kuiper belt and also the planet Sedna are indicating the presence of another planet. The calculations give it a mass between 5 and 10 times that of the Earth.

An hypothesis is that the Planet 9 may have been ejected in its youth by Jupiter. If astronomers have not yet identified this planet, it is mainly because it is dark, very far away and moves slowly.

2 A Japanese study of nearly 60,000 diabetic patients shows that people eating more slowly are thinner. Eating slowly could help to achieve weight loss more effectively. Changes in the speed at which we eat can lead to changes in obesity, BMI, and waist circumference.

Researchers looked at the medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes between 2008 and 2013. People who said they eat “slowly” had a lower waist circumference on average. Only 21.5% were overweight. Among those who reported eating at “normal” (56%) and “fast” (37%), overweight was more prevalent, with 36.5% and 44.4%, respectively.

3 The rise of the oceans is accelerating and the water level could rise by 65 centimeters by the end of the century. The annual ocean level rise, which is currently about 3 millimeters a year, could reach an additional 10 millimeters each year by 2100.

The results of this work are based on information collected by satellites for 25 years. This acceleration, mainly due to the accelerated melting of Greenland and Antarctica, can potentially double the total sea level on Earth.