Baffled scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of how a meteorite left Earth’s atmosphere and somehow came back again. Unlike boomerangs, meteorites don’t have a reputation for coming back around again, so when a black rock found in Morocco in 2018 seemed to have done just that, it left the scientific community confused. The rock, whose official name is Northwest Africa (NWA) 13188, is a scientific first (that we know of) to have left the Earth’s atmosphere, gone into outer space and returned again. The 646-gram piece of rock is remarkable not only for its journey but also its makeup. NWA 13188 has a bubbly texture and contains crystals. Its chemical components suggest that the rock is made out of the minerals produced by molten minerals that come from volcanic activity. It also possesses trace elements and oxygen isotopes, which suggests to scientists that it is not the typical meteorite that originates in space, but instead, it originated on Earth itself. However, according to a geophysicist from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Jérôme Gattacceca, who studied the rock and presented the findings, it has undergone an interesting journey in orbit. Scientists can identify this because of the presence and concentration levels of Helium-3, Beryllium-10, and Neon-21, which suggest exposure to cosmic rays that are not present in Earth’s atmosphere. Compared to other more traditional meteorites scientists have studied, the concentrations are lower on NWA 13188 but are still higher than rocks on Earth. It is thought that NWA 13188 could have been expelled from Earth and in orbit for thousands of years. Scientists said, “We consider NWA 13188 to be a meteorite, launched from the Earth and later re-accreted to its surface”. Despite the rock originating on Earth, the team said it fits the definition of a meteorite since it has achieved orbit. The definition states: “Material launched from a celestial body that achieves an independent orbit around the Sun or some other celestial body, and which eventually is re-accreted by the original body, should be considered a meteorite. “The difficulty, of course, would be in proving that this had happened, but a terrestrial rock that had been exposed to cosmic rays and had a well-developed fusion crust should be considered a possible terrestrial meteorite.” It is not yet understood how the rock came to be launched from Earth into space, as researchers said it still “remains to be determined”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

An overview of the media in St Kitts and Nevis, as well as links to broadcasters and newspapers.

Chris Pratt has shown off his sparkly new look after his daughters gave him a makeover. The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 44, shares his daughters Eloise Christina, 15 months, and Lyla Maria, three, with his wife Kathrine Schwarzenegger. He also shares his 11-year-old son, Jack, with ex-wife Anna Farris, 46. In an amusing Instagram caption, Pratt wrote: “All I have to say... Jack would never do this to me.” Pratt gave fans a glimpse of two different looks. The first one showed his forehead bedazzled with teal, purple, and silver gems. He had pearl-like gems dotting his face, as well as a teal manicure, in the other. TheTomorrow War actor opened up on Late Night with Seth Meyers about his experience going from raising one son to two daughters. Pratt noted that his daughters’ penchant for all things glitter is one of many differences that he loves and appreciates. “I love it. It’s fantastic,” he gushed to host Seth Meyers. “You know, you hear that maybe the experience is different and it really is, in my experience." “My daughter Lyla is so girly. I picked her up yesterday and she said, ‘Oh Daddy, that’s a cute outfit. Look, you have little cute pockets,” Pratt added, laughing: “That’s not something Jack ever said to me.” While Eloise and Lyla may be mini fashionistas, Jack has taken a liking to America’s favorite pastime: baseball. The Parks and Recreation alum took his son to watch a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game in late July and posted pictures of the fun father-son day on Instagram. In the photos, Pratt and his son posed with a jersey that had their last names printed on the back. “What a day! Jack and I got to hit the mound together, eat our bodyweight in Dodger Dogs and delivered the game opening announcement!” the actor captioned his post. He also mentioned his gratitude to the baseball team for hosting the fun outing: “Thank you @claytonkershaw for asking me to throw yesterday’s pitch for faith and family day, what an honour! Let’s go Dodgers!” Watching his father play baseball isn’t the only time that Jack has supported his dad. Pratt previously said that his son was “freaked out” that his dad was voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros Movie, telling People: “He saw it already and he’s thrilled. He loves it. He took all his friends and he really freaked out.” The actor also noted that although his daughters were “a little too young” to watch the movie, he hoped that when they eventually see it “they’ll think their dad is cool”. Read More Maria Shriver reveals how she avoids conflict as a mother-in-law: ‘I zip my mouth’ Chris Pratt says every dad ‘secretly fantasizes about what they’d do if someone ever f***** with their kids’ This is how stress affects different parts of the body 4 hacks to get teens off the sofa and get active – as study warns of heart damage How to protect your kids and yourself from back-to-school colds

The increased focus on mental health in the last few years has seen more and more people turning to things like mindfulness, meditation and talking therapies to cope with stress. While these techniques can be very effective, it’s important to remember that stress isn’t ‘all in your head’ – it can have a serious physical impact as well. “Stress is how you feel and respond when life puts you under a lot of pressure,” says Dr Luke Powles, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics. “A certain amount of stress can be positive, as it can help you prepare for challenges and respond to them,” Powles adds. “But too much stress, especially over a long period of time, can cause both mental and physical problems.” That’s why it’s vital to look at the sources of stress in your life and be aware of both the short and long-term symptoms. Here’s how stress can affect different parts of the body… Heart and lungs A sudden surge of stress can make you feel like you’ve just run up several flights of stairs. “Immediately, you’re going to get an increase in your heart rate, with that almost panic attack or anxiety-like feeling,” says Dr Alka Patel, aka the Health Hacktivation Doctor. “Your breathing rate is going to speed up as well, because you’re trying to oxygenate your blood.” That’s also why you might get sweaty palms or pits: “You get vasodilatation of your blood vessels – you’re basically trying to increase blood flow to your body, so sweating is a very immediate phenomenon for most people.” Stressful situations can raise your blood pressure temporarily too, Powell says: “If you’re stressed over a long time, you could possibly develop long-term high blood pressure.” The link between stress and heart disease is mitigated by other factors. “Stress may not directly cause coronary heart disease, such as a heart attack or stroke and cholesterol,” says Powell. “But if you smoke, drink, or eat more to cope with stress, you increase your risk of these. Stress may also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.” Doctors also warn about heart rate variability (HRV), meaning the variation in the pauses between heartbeats. “You want a high HRV because you want to be adaptable,” Patel explains. “When you’re under chronic stress your HRV starts to drop, and that tells you that you’re not resilient in the face of stress.” Stomach and gut Feeling too anxious to eat? Or craving carbs when you’re under pressure? “You’re releasing this surge of cortisol, the stress hormone, very quickly, which is then trying to get as much sugar and fuel on board,” Patel explains. “A lot of people will then either notice the hunger response: ‘I’ve got to eat lunch to manage my stress’. Or you notice the dip, which is: ‘I don’t want to eat, I can’t eat anything else’.” You might experience digestive issues as well, she continues: “With an immediate stress reaction, everything else in your body has to stop. This means you can start to get those symptoms of diarrhoea, upset stomach, that kind of thing, because all of those digestive processes have to have to halt in order to manage your stress.” There are also some links between chronic stress and certain illnesses, including digestive complaints. “If you have a pre-existing health condition, stress could make it worse, or flare up,” says Powell. “Examples of conditions that can be aggravated by stress include irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, asthma and psoriasis.” Muscles A surge of stress can cause muscle spasms called fasciculation and tension in the cervical muscles of the neck, which might lead to a headache. “People don’t necessarily associate headaches with muscles, but you can get spasms in your upper neck muscles and shoulders,” Patel says. “You feel the tension in the muscles going over your scalp – and that’s why we call these tension headaches.” Teeth and mouth Stress can also harm your oral health, which should be dealt with by a dentist. “Teeth grinding (bruxism) is often linked to stress, but lots of people aren’t aware they have the condition because it happens in their sleep,” says Powell. “Symptoms include headaches, earache, stiffness and pain in the jaw or mouth; teeth which are breaking or look worn down; and facial swelling.” Inflammageing A hot topic among longevity specialists in recent years, ‘inflammageing’ means chronic inflammation that has a damaging effect and is caused by a variety of diet and lifestyle factors. “Stress accelerates ageing, and then there’s a whole cascade of stuff that goes on as a result of that,” says Patel. “[It affects] your immune response, the communication between your cells, muscle function and your bones.”

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