RSID: <<2023-01-06T00:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

Welcome to program 286 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:35 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:41 MFSK32: HAARP signals sent to nearby asteroid
  7:56 MFSK64: Why healthy ecosystems need rodents*
14:48 MFSK64: This week's images*
28:29 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on Twitter now: @SWRadiogram

From New Atlas:

Radio waves from Alaska could add to asteroid-defense strategy

By Michael Franco
December 30, 2022

While Earth should be pretty safe from an asteroid collision for
the foreseeable future, scientists are gathering all the data
they can about the potentially dangerous space rocks

In late December, the High-frequency Active Auroral Research
Program (HAARP) antenna array in Alaska transmitted a series of
long-wavelength* radio signals to an asteroid that was passing
just two lunar distances away from the Earth. The thinking is
that the signals will have penetrated the asteroid, giving
scientists an idea of its internal makeup, and arming them with
another piece of information that could be critical in defending
the planet from a someday collision.

Most asteroid-observing programs here on Earth use either visual
studies of asteroids - such as those provided by observatories
across the world to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies
(CNEOS) - or short-wave radio frequencies including those
provided by NASA's Deep Space Network to map the size, positions,
and paths of asteroids. While these programs provide extremely
valuable data regarding any potential danger from an asteroid
impact, they are limited in that they only "see" the surface of
the asteroid.

HAARP, which is operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks,
has traditionally been used to carry out analysis of our
ionosphere (and has even been implicated in a few conspiracy
theories). It also has the ability to send out long-wavelength
radio signals. Such signals are able to penetrate objects,
letting observers get an idea of their internal structure. In
this case, learning about the internal architecture of an
asteroid could provide scientists with a way to one day blow up
or deflect a space rock that's getting a little too close to
Earth for comfort.

The target of the observation was asteroid 2010 XC15 which
measures about 500 feet (152 m) across, making it small by
asteroid standards. It is currently passing by Earth at two lunar
distances, or two times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

The HAARP experiment joins other asteroid-investigating efforts
such as NASA's DART mission, which slammed a spacecraft into an
asteroid in September, and the OSIRIS-REx mission, which grabbed
a clawful of soil from the asteroid Bennu in 2020.

While no one expects an asteroid to give Earth any trouble
anytime soon, astronomers do have their eyes on an asteroid known
as Apophis, which will whiz past Earth at a distance of about
20,000 miles (32,187 km) on April 13, 2029. For context, that's
closer than lots of the satellites currently orbiting the planet.
Still, even though Apophis was once thought to be a risk,
researchers using updated observations now feel that it won't be
a menace for at least a century, which gives scientists plenty of
time to figure out how to deal with it.

Data from the HAARP observations will be analyzed over the next
few weeks, with researchers hoping to publish their findings in
the ensuing months.

Source: University of Alaska Fairbanks

https://newatlas.com/science/asteroid-defense-strategy

* Kim's comment: "Long-wavelength" in astronomical terms. The
signal was centered on 9600 kHz.

See also:
https://phys.org/news/2022-12-nasa-haarp-asteroid.html
https://twitter.com/aborgnino/status/1607766136174817280

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...


 

RSID: <<2023-01-06T00:38Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net


 

From Phys.org:

In defense of rodents: Why healthy ecosystems need them

by Abi Gazzard, Connor Panter and Rosalind Kennerley
The Conversation
January 3, 2023

You might think you have the measure of the rodent family.
Perhaps just the word "rodent" conjures images of invasive rats,
those urban denizens accused of spreading pathogens and
parasites, chewing through wires and spoiling food.

Most rodents are, in fact, more elusive and inhabit quiet corners
of rainforests, mountains, deserts and rivers. These small
mammals have filled a niche in nature for at least the last 56
million years, and from shrew-rats to true rats and hamsters to
beavers, rodents play an important role in ecosystems worldwide.

Yet, a huge number of rodent species are on the brink of
extinction. Eking out an existence in shrinking habitats and
under threat from persecution, pollution and climate change,
rodents are overwhelmingly neglected by research and funding that
might help to protect them. We are three conservation scientists
determined to show that this is a mistake—and change your mind
about these misunderstood creatures.

More than vermin

Roughly 40% of all mammal species are rodents. There are around
2,375 living species, spanning mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters,
voles, porcupines, lemmings, beavers, chinchillas, chipmunks and
more. The number of recognized rodent species is still growing
and at a seemingly faster rate than other mammal groups including
bats, primates and carnivores. Between two comprehensive
checklists of global mammal species produced in 2005 and 2018, an
additional 371 rodents were officially recognized.

New discoveries are often the result of genetic work that has
identified multiple similar-looking species previously described
as one. Nonetheless, from the 3g desert-dwelling jerboa to the
50kg semiaquatic capybara, rodents are a remarkably diverse
bunch.

This diversity allows rodents to play numerous roles in Earth's
ecosystems. Rodents have a hand (or rather, paw) in determining
which plants propagate and where by eating and dispersing their
seeds. Beavers engineer entire ecosystems with their dams which
help to purify water systems and moderate floods and droughts,
while burrowing kangaroo rats create subterranean habitats used
by other wildlife. Rodents are also an invaluable link in the
food chain, sustaining predators which include birds of prey,
wolves, snakes and even spiders.

We shouldn't forget that humans have long benefited from
relationships with rodents. Agoutis in South America are one of
the few animal groups capable of cracking open the capsules of
the Brazil nut fruit. By hoarding excess seeds, agoutis help
disperse their trees throughout the Amazon rainforest and support
the global production of Brazil nuts, which is almost entirely
dependent on wild harvests. African giant pouched rats can detect
tuberculosis in saliva, hidden land mines, survivors trapped
under rubble and pangolins smuggled in shipping containers. By
studying the resistance of naked mole-rats to cancer, scientists
hope to improve our understanding of the disease and its
potential treatment. It's clear that the loss of a rodent
species—even the smallest—can have cascading consequences for
humans and the environment.

Underfunded, understudied and disappearing

Worryingly, at least 15% of rodent species are threatened with
extinction. More than 100 are among the top 560-ranked
Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammals,
meaning that while they are threatened, they also have few or no
close relatives. If an EDGE species were to disappear, there
would be nothing really like them left.

For many more species, scientists simply don't know enough to
understand how they are faring: the population trend (whether
they are stable, declining or increasing) of at least a thousand
rodents is unknown. Even when it comes to zoonotic disease, there
are substantial gaps in our knowledge of viruses in rodents and
how outbreaks might be influenced by their ecology or population
dynamics. The reality is that rodents receive very little
scientific attention beyond their discovery and naming.

Rodents are a hard sell outside science too. Studies on the
public perception of wildlife demonstrate that rodents are
generally the least favored group. Compared to larger-bodied
mammals, rodents and small mammals are referred to on Twitter
substantially less, not considered as interesting by zoo visitors
and inspire fewer donations to conservation schemes. Even the
bigger rodents such as beavers are outranked by large carnivores,
birds, moths and bees in public preference surveys.

It is no surprise then that some species have already fallen
through the cracks. The little Swan Island hutia, a rodent once
endemic to Caribbean islands of the same name, was driven to
extinction in 1960 by introduced cats. The Candango mouse
disappeared during a similar period in central Brazil, where its
forest habitat was almost entirely paved over. Australia's
Bramble Cay melomys was declared extinct as recently as 2016
after rising sea levels gradually degraded the tiny coral island
on which it lived. The loss of this rodent is thought to be the
first modern mammal extinction caused by climate change.

Some rodents remain unstudied for so long that it's not known
whether they still exist. Gould's mouse, a species also native to
Australia, was thought to be extinct for 150 years before it was
recently rediscovered surviving on islands off of western
Australia. Another, the Namdapha flying squirrel, was thought to
be extinct in the wild until a single specimen was collected in
1981 from northeast India. The species is now listed as
critically endangered and is currently known only from informal
sightings dated decades ago. Of the world's rediscovered species,
the data shows that rodents remain missing for the longest time,
probably because there are not enough people looking for them.

Even well-monitored or well-known rodents aren't safe. The common
hamster is listed as critically endangered, and could die out in
coming decades unless its decline is reversed. Its popular pet
cousin, the golden (or Syrian) hamster, is also endangered in the
wild, clinging on to its last fragment of habitat.

Many rodents can adapt well to landscapes altered by people, but
others cannot adjust to this rat race and exist only in dwindling
and deteriorating wildernesses. It is likely that we have already
lost many species which we never even knew existed.

The first step towards recovering many threatened yet overlooked
species may be to alter our own perceptions and behavior. For the
little guys like rodents, this means appreciating that even
though they are perhaps not as glamorous or mighty as many
flagship conservation species, we are far more dependent on their
biodiversity than we might imagine.

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-defense-rodents-healthy-ecosystems.html

Image: Dormice can hibernate for six months or longer ...
 

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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

This week's images ...
 

An aurora in southern Manitoba. https://t.ly/nwVj ...

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A boat at sunset off the coast of Gaza City. https://t.ly/ZLX9
...

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A frozen waterfall illuminated by colorful lights in Gansu
province, China, December 25. https://t.ly/NFK0P ...

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Fireworks bring in the new year over buildings in Makati city,
Manila, Philippines. https://t.ly/PC4DR ...

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Badyo Steading just outside Pitlochry, Scotland.
https://t.ly/H89u ...

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This dog in Cambusbarron, Scotland, is doing a happy snow dance.
https://t.ly/H89u ...

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Sunset seen from Washington DC, with the National Cathedral in
the foreground, January 4. https://t.ly/sKz5 ...

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Our painting of the week is "Snow Shadows" by George Hawley
Hallowell (American, 1872-1926). https://t.ly/qCyN ...


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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...

 

RSID: <<2023-01-06T00:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...

 

Shortwave Radiogram is transmitted by:

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and

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And visit http://swradiogram.net

Twitter: @SWRadiogram or twitter.com/swradiogram

I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.

RSID: <<2023-01-05T02:46Z MFSK-64 @ 5850000+1500>>

This Is A Music Show #193
5 January 2023

0200-0300UTC Thursday on 5850 kHz

via WRMI, Okeechobee USA

***ALSO***

TIAnExpressMS w/ Radio Northern Europe International
via Channel 292 in Germany, mainly on 6070 kHz.

Broadcast various dates/times/freqs. Check the schedule here:

https://www.channel292.de/
https://rnei.org/

----------------------------------------

PLAYLIST

12. Fenways - A-Go-Go
11. Human Sexual Response - Marone Offering
10. Love - 7 And 7 Is

-----

9. Mighty Threes - Rasta Business (Single Edit)
8. The Majestics - Tighten Up
7. Ramsey Lewis - Jade East

-----

6. Paul Humphrey - Detroit
5. The Invictas - The Hump
4. Sergio Mendes Trio - Let Me

-----

3. Ronnie Foster - Love Satellite
2. Idle Race - Imposters Of Lifes Magazine

-----

HM. Gordon Deppe - Something Not Quite Right

-----

THIS DATA w/ Bert Kaempfert - That Happy Feeling

-----

1. The Sound - Kinetic

----------------------------------------

TIAMS Website:

https://thisisamusicshow.com

Go here for show archives + official shop!

-----

Please send reception reports/comments:

thisisamusicshow@gmail.com

Follow TIAMS on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/ThisIsAMusicSho/

------

Thanks for listening!

--YOUR HOST--


EOM


 

RSID: <<2023-01-05T02:48Z MFSK-64 @ 5850000+1500>>

Sending Pic:300x300Cp4;
 

Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine of the Imperials
was born January 8, 1941.

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littleanthonyandtheimperials.org


Please report your decode to themightykbc@gmail.com