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Oct 16, 2023

Unraveling the Secrets of the Early Universe — Ringing Protons Provide New Insight

Posted by in category: cosmology

During the mid-20th century, scientists discovered that protons have the ability to resonate, akin to the vibrations of a bell. Over the subsequent thirty years, advancements have led to 3D pictures of the proton and significant insight into its structure in its ground state. However, there remains limited knowledge about the 3D structure of a resonating proton.

A recent experiment conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has delved deeper into the three-dimensional structures of both proton and neutron resonances. This research provides one more puzzle piece to the vast picture of the chaotic, nascent universe that existed just after the Big Bang.

The Big Bang is the leading cosmological model explaining how the universe as we know it began approximately 13.8 billion years ago.

Oct 16, 2023

Vaping and Chronic Stress: Scientists Discover Worrisome Connection

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

According to a study recently presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy, young people who have used e-cigarettes are more than twice as likely to report experiencing chronic stress.

The study was presented by Dr Teresa To, a senior scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada. She said: “Research is starting to show how vaping affects young people’s physical and mental health. For example, our previous research has shown that those who vape are more likely to suffer an asthma attack. In this study, we were particularly interested in the relationship between vaping, mental health, and quality of life among young people.”

Oct 16, 2023

Mercury’s Mystical Magnetosphere: Mio Spacecraft Reveals Chorus Waves and X-Ray Aurora

Posted by in category: space travel

Mercury’s exploration by the Mio spacecraft revealed localized chorus waves in its magnetosphere. International research utilized advanced theories and simulations to understand these waves, emphasizing the magnetosphere’s vital role in shielding planets from cosmic radiation.

Since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun among the solar system planets, it is strongly influenced by the solar wind, a high-speed (several hundred km/s) stream of plasma.

Plasma is one of the four fundamental states of matter, along with solid, liquid, and gas. It is an ionized gas consisting of positive ions and free electrons. It was first described by chemist Irving Langmuir in the 1920s.

Oct 16, 2023

She Studies Growing Arteries to Aid Heart Attack Recovery

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Regenerative medicine researcher Kristy Red Horse’s discoveries may someday help damaged hearts heal better. Her stewardship of her Native American heritage may advance science in other ways too.

Oct 16, 2023

Manipulating nonlinear exciton polaritons in a WS2 monolayer with artificial lattices

Posted by in category: quantum physics

Exciton polaritons, hybrid quasiparticles caused by the strong exciton-photon coupling, constitute a unique prototype for studying many-body physics and quantum photonic phenomena traditionally in cryogenic conditions.

Atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), as exceptional semiconductors with room-temperature operations, have received much attention due to their fascinating valleytronics features and strong exciton resonance. Nevertheless, in TMDs microcavities, the overall nonlinear interaction strength of polaritons can be insignificant compared to that of other wide-bandgap semiconductors.

Considerable effort has been devoted to improving the nonlinear interactions, for instance, by resorting to 2s states, trion, and moiré or dipolar excitons. However, these excitons quickly dissipate at elevated temperatures and then destroy the strong coupling condition. Thus, achieving an appropriate combination of strong nonlinearity together with the thermal stability of the TMDs polaritons is highly sought after for realistic polariton-based integrated devices.

Oct 16, 2023

A quantum algorithm for the segmentation of a moving target in grayscale videos

Posted by in categories: computing, information science, quantum physics

Computer vision algorithms have become increasingly advanced over the past decades, enabling the development of sophisticated technologies to monitor specific environments, detect objects of interest in video footage and uncover suspicious activities in CCTV recordings. Some of these algorithms are specifically designed to detect and isolate moving objects or people of interest in a video, a task known as moving target segmentation.

While some conventional algorithms for moving target segmentation attained promising results, most of them perform poorly in real-time (i.e., when analyzing videos that are not pre-recorded but are being captured in the present moment). Some research teams have thus been trying to tackle this problem using alternative types of algorithms, such as so-called quantum algorithms.

Researchers at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology and Southeast University in China recently developed a new quantum for the segmentation of moving targets in grayscale videos. This algorithm, published in Advanced Quantum Technologies, was found to outperform classical approaches in tasks that involve the analysis of in real-time.

Oct 15, 2023

Alzheimer’s Is Linked to Stress And Depression, And We May Know Why

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Dementia affects more than 55 million people around the world.

A number of factors can increase a person’s risk of developing dementia, including high blood pressure, poor sleep, and physical inactivity.

Meanwhile, keeping cognitively, physically, and socially active, and limiting alcohol consumption, can reduce the risk.

Continue reading “Alzheimer’s Is Linked to Stress And Depression, And We May Know Why” »

Oct 15, 2023

Robot kid successfully conveys six emotions on its face

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

An android child capable of expressing six emotions puts us one step closer to a future in which we share our homes with companion robots.

Oct 15, 2023

IIT Grads’ Storage Solution Helps 70000 Farmers Keep Produce Fresh, Cut CO2 Emissions

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Alumni of IIT-Kharagpur have built a cold storage facility named Ecofrost via their startup, Ecozone Solutions. This is a portable facility that offers pre-cooling of fruits, vegetables and flowers to increase their shelf life and reduce transportation costs.

Oct 15, 2023

The “afterlife” according to Einstein’s special relativity

Posted by in categories: alien life, physics

Sabine Hossenfelder investigates life’s big questions through the lens of physics, particularly Einstein’s theory of special relativity. She highlights the relativity of simultaneity, which states that the notion of “now” is subjective and dependent on the observer. This leads to the block universe concept, where past, present, and future all exist simultaneously, making the past just as real as the present.

Hossenfelder also emphasizes that the fundamental laws of nature preserve information rather than destroy it. Although information about a deceased person disperses, it remains an integral part of the universe. This idea of timeless existence, derived from the study of fundamental physics, offers profound spiritual insights that can be difficult to internalize in our everyday lives. As a result, Hossenfelder encourages people to trust the scientific method and accept the profound implications of these discoveries, which may reshape our understanding of life and existence.

As a physicist, Hossenfelder trusts the knowledge gained through the scientific method and acknowledges the challenge of integrating these deep insights into our daily experiences. By contemplating these profound concepts, we can potentially expand our understanding of reality and our place within it.