Jim Shelton Journalist Profile

Articles

This quasar may have helped turn the lights on for the universe

Jan 24, 2025 | knowridge.com | Jim Shelton

A Yale-led team of astronomers has detected an intensely brightening and dimming quasar that may help explain how some objects in the early universe grew at a highly accelerated rate. The discovery, announced Jan. 14 at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society, is the most distant object detected by the NuSTAR X-ray space telescope (which launched in 2012) and stands as one of the most highly “variable” quasars ever identified.
Hear ye! Hear ye! Yale researchers uncover new complexities in human hearing

Jan 23, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

Yale physicists have discovered a sophisticated, previously unknown set of “modes” within the human ear that put important constraints on how the ear amplifies faint sounds, tolerates noisy blasts, and discerns a stunning range of sound frequencies in between. By applying existing mathematical models to a generic mock-up of a cochlea — a spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear — the researchers revealed a new layer of cochlear complexity.
Meet Yale’s maestro of MicroED

Jan 22, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

For a crystal-clear view of cutting-edge science, step into Brandon Mercado’s lab in the basement of Kline Chemistry Laboratory. This suite of rooms, collectively called the Yale Chemical and Biophysical Instrumentation Center (CBIC), is filled with all manner of spectrometers, a fluorimeter, several X-ray devices, and a computed tomography (CT) scanner.
Natarajan wins 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics

Jan 16, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

Yale astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan has won the prestigious 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics for her path-breaking research focused on the invisible universe, including the nature of dark matter and understanding the origin of black holes. The Heineman Prize, awarded jointly by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP), honors excellence in mid-career astrophysics research.
This quasar may have illuminated the early universe

Jan 15, 2025 | copernical.com | Jim Shelton

This quasar may have illuminated the early universeby Jim Shelton for Yale NewsNew Haven CT (SPX) Jan 15, 2025 Quasars, among the universe's oldest and most luminous entities, are formed by active galactic nuclei (AGN) powered by supermassive black holes drawing in surrounding matter. These celestial objects emit electromagnetic radiation detectable across a broad spectrum, including radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths.
This quasar may have helped turn the lights on for the universe

Jan 14, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

A Yale-led team of astronomers has detected an intensely brightening and dimming quasar that may help explain how some objects in the early universe grew at a highly accelerated rate. The discovery, announced Jan. 14 at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society, is the most distant object detected by the NuSTAR X-ray space telescope (which launched in 2012) and stands as one of the most highly “variable” quasars ever identified.
Still life with Einstein? A physics class, by way of the art gallery

Jan 10, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

Islay Ross, who grew up on a small island off the coast of Washington state, learned how to express her feelings with paint, fabric, and collage long before visiting the Yale University Art Gallery as part of a seminar for first-year Yale College students this fall. She had even exhibited her work in a national art show before graduating from high school.
Tracking the metabolic origins of cancer from a mosaic of cells

Jan 8, 2025 | medicalxpress.com | Jim Shelton

Yale researchers are sifting through a mosaic of cells in a living animal—both normal cells and mutated cells—to better understand how cancer grabs a foothold. But they're starting by studying tolerance. Most biological organisms, including humans, accumulate cancer-causing mutations in their tissues. Many of these mutated cells, however, are tolerated by the body and therefore never develop into full-blown disease. But why?
How electrical synapses fine-tune sensory information for better decisions

Jan 7, 2025 | phys.org | Jim Shelton

Scientists at Yale and the University of Connecticut have taken a major step in understanding how animal brains make decisions, revealing a crucial role for electrical synapses in "filtering" sensory information.
Earth’s air war: Explaining the delayed rise of plants, animals on land

Jan 6, 2025 | news.yale.edu | Jim Shelton

If you like the smell of spring roses, the sounds of summer birdsong, and the colors of fall foliage, you have the stabilization of the ozone layer to thank for it. Located in the stratosphere, where it shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, the ozone layer plays a key role in preserving the planet’s biodiversity. And now we may have a better idea of why that took so long — more than 2 billion years — to happen.