Meta’s latest social network, Threads, is launching its own fact-checking initiative after leveraging Instagram and Facebook’s networks for a brief period.

Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, stated that the company has recently implemented a feature that allows fact-checkers to assess and label false content on threads. Nevertheless, Mosseri refrained from providing specific information regarding the exact timing of the program’s implementation and whether it was restricted to certain geographical regions.

The fact-checking partners for Threads—which organizations are affiliated with Meta—are not clearly specified. We have requested additional information from the company and will revise the story accordingly upon receiving a response.

The upcoming U.S. elections appear to be the main driving force behind the decision. India is currently in the midst of its general elections. However, it is improbable that a social network would implement a fact-checking program specifically during an election cycle rather than initiating the project prior to the elections.

In December, Meta announced its intention to implement the fact-checking program on Threads.

“At present, we align the fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram with Threads. However, our objective is to empower fact-checking partners to evaluate and assign ratings to misinformation on the application,” Mosseri stated in a post during that period.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is poised to be globally discontinued, almost 3.5 years after its initial authorization. The vaccine’s discontinuation has attracted attention due to its notorious reputation. However, what is the underlying reason for this decision? It is not as sensational as some may imply.

As per a statement observed by the BBC, the decision was made for commercial reasons due to an excess of updated vaccines that has resulted in a decrease in demand.

Viruses have the ability to undergo mutations and evolutionary changes, and this holds true for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19. Consequently, a wide array of distinct variations has emerged, prompting certain vaccine manufacturers to develop revised vaccines specifically designed to combat these variations.

Nevertheless, AstraZeneca has not taken the same action. Professor Adam Finn from the University of Bristol stated to the Science Media Centre (SMC) that this implies that the vaccine, currently known as Vaxzevria, is likely significantly less efficacious than its initial effectiveness.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that there is any economic justification for the ongoing production and distribution of the vaccine. This is likely the primary factor influencing the company’s decision to cease manufacturing and selling it.

The company has emphasized the effects of Vaxzevria since its implementation. The statement indicated that independent estimates showed that more than 6.5 million lives were preserved solely in the initial year of implementation. “Governments worldwide have acknowledged our endeavors and consider them to be a crucial element in bringing an end to the global pandemic.”

However, the vaccine did encounter some issues. In 2021, multiple countries halted the use of Vaxzevria as a precautionary measure due to reports of individuals experiencing a rare condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the vaccine.

The incidence of vaccine-induced TTS, however, has been determined to be significantly low. According to data from the UK, the likelihood of developing it after receiving the vaccination is estimated to be approximately 4 cases per 1 million individuals.

A comprehensive study of more than 29 million individuals revealed that contracting COVID-19 carries a significantly higher likelihood of developing blood clots compared to receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“When considering our actions, we must always weigh the potential harm against the potential benefits. During the height of the pandemic, the AZ vaccine provided greater benefits than harm. However, now there are more effective and safer options available,” stated Professor Jonathan Ball, Deputy Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, in an interview with the SMC.

“Maybe its relevance has diminished,” commented Dr. Michael Head, a global health researcher. The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been instrumental in the global pandemic response for the majority of countries.

Astronomers have successfully utilized the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the presence of an atmosphere around a terrestrial exoplanet, marking the first such discovery beyond our solar system. Despite its inability to sustain life due to its likely magma ocean, this planet could provide valuable insights into the early geological development of Earth, as both planets share a rocky composition and a history of being molten.

Sara Seager, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who was not part of the study, states that the discovery of a gaseous envelope surrounding an Earth-like planet is a significant achievement in the field of exoplanet research. The Earth’s tenuous atmosphere plays a vital role in supporting life, and the ability to detect atmospheres on comparable rocky planets is a significant milestone in the quest for extraterrestrial life.

JWST is currently studying the planet 55 Cancri e, which orbits a star similar to the Sun at a distance of 12.6 parsecs. It is classified as a super-Earth, meaning it is a terrestrial planet slightly larger than Earth. Specifically, it has a radius approximately twice that of Earth and a mass more than eight times greater. The paper published in Nature1 suggests that the atmosphere of the planet is likely to contain significant amounts of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. Additionally, the thickness of the atmosphere is estimated to be “up to a few percent” of the planet’s radius.

A mysterious world
55 Cancri e is also not a good place to live because it is very close to its star—about 1.6 times as close as Earth is to the Sun. Still, Aaron Bello-Arufe, an astrophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and a co-author of the paper, says, “it’s perhaps the most studied rocky planet.” Its host star is bright at night, and the planet is big for a rocky one, so it’s easier to study than other places outside of the Solar System. “In astronomy, every telescope or other tool you can think of has pointed to this planet at some point,” says Bello-Arufe.

55 Cancribe was studied so much that when JWST was launched in December 2021, engineers pointed the infrared spectrometers of the spacecraft at it to test it. As these instruments soak up infrared wavelengths from starlight, they can find the chemical signatures of gases swirling around planets. Then Bello-Arufe and his coworkers chose to look into it more to find out for sure if the planet had an atmosphere.

Astronomers had changed their minds about 55 Cancri a huge number of times before the most recent observations. In 2004, the planet was found. Scientists first thought it might be the center of a gas giant like Jupiter. Researchers looked at 55 Cancri e as it passed in front of its star3 with the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2011. They found that it is a rocky super-Earth, much smaller and denser than a gas giant.

After some time, scientists found that 55 C was cooler than it should have been for a planet that was so close to its star. This suggests that it probably has an atmosphere. One hypothesis was that the planet is a “water world” with supercritical water molecules all around it. Another was that it has a large, primordial atmosphere mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. But in the end, these ideas were shown to be wrong.

According to Renyu Hu, a planetary scientist at JPL and co-author of the new study, stellar winds would make it difficult for a planet this close to its star to retain volatile molecules in its atmosphere. He says there are still two options. The first was that the planet is completely dry and has a very thin layer of rock vapor in the air. The second reason was that it has a thick atmosphere made up of heavier, less volatile molecules that don’t easily escape.

A better picture
The most recent information shows that 55 Cancrie’s atmosphere has gases made of carbon, which points to option two. Seager says that the team did indeed find evidence of an atmosphere but that more observations are needed to fully understand its make-up, the amounts of gases present, and its exact thickness.

Laura Schaefer is a planetary geologist at California’s Stanford University. She wants to know how the atmosphere of 55 Cancrie affects things below the surface of the planet. The authors of the study say it’s still possible that stellar winds are carrying away parts of the atmosphere. However, rocks melting and releasing gases into the magma ocean could replace the gases.