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New research published in the journal Science uncovers how scratching aggravates inflammation and swelling in a mouse model of a type of eczema called allergic contact dermatitis.

“At first, these findings seemed to introduce a paradox: If scratching an itch is bad for us, why does it feel so good?” said senior author Daniel Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Scratching is often pleasurable, which suggests that, in order to have evolved, this behavior must provide some kind of benefit. Our study helps resolve this paradox by providing evidence that scratching also provides defense against bacterial skin infections.”

The real magic of Fermi problems lies in their imperfection. They remind us that it’s okay to be wrong — as long as you’re thoughtfully wrong. “There are no wrong answers,” says Funk. “It’s about the process.”

No single formula exists. Yet each problem invites the same approach: break it down, make realistic (or at least consistent) assumptions, and trust your critical thinking. “No Wrong Answers” is a common Fermi problem refrain because even if your math arrives at a slightly off result, you’ve shown how you reason. And that, ultimately, is the real answer.

So, the next time you’re faced with a seemingly impossible question — whether it’s How many grains of sand are on all the world’s beaches? or How long would it take to drive to the moon? — grab a napkin and a pen. Start breaking it down. Make some guesses. Do some math. You might just surprise yourself with how close you can get.

These insights could drive the development of new drugs to treat transthyretin amyloidosis, a progressive and fatal disease.

Transthyretin, a small but crucial protein, plays a vital role in transporting hormones through the blood and spinal fluid. However, when it misfolds after secretion, it can lead to serious health problems. Misfolded transthyretin forms toxic clumps in the heart and along nerves, causing transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR)—a progressive and often fatal disease. ATTR affects up to 25% of men over 80, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.

In a breakthrough study, researchers at Scripps Research have revealed new structural insights into transthyretin. Their findings, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

What exists at the core of a black hole? A research team led by Enrico Rinaldi, a physicist at the University of Michigan, has leveraged quantum computing and machine learning to analyze the quantum state of a matrix model, providing new insights into the nature of black holes.

The study builds on the holographic principle, which suggests that the fundamental theories of particle physics and gravity are mathematically equivalent, despite being formulated in different dimensions.

Two prevailing theories describe black holes from different dimensional perspectives. In one framework, gravity operates within the three-dimensional geometry of the black hole. In contrast, particle physics is confined to the two-dimensional surface, resembling a flat disk. This duality highlights a key distinction between the two models while reinforcing their interconnected nature.

To travel between the stars requires vast amounts of fuel and energy, but as it turns out, the ocean of night in deep space is full of fuel, if you can collect it along the way.

The Fishback ramjet revisited: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science
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Credits: Bussard Ramjet Starship Drive.
Episode 411b, September 10, 2023
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.

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Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about a new study that determines the Bussard Ramjet may not be possible after all.
Links:
https://www.tuwien.at/en/tu-wien/news/news-articles/news/sci…et-antrieb.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576521005804
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bussard_ramjet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Daedalus.

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Two new recently published, peer-reviewed scientific papers show that real warp drive designs based on real physics may be possible. They are realistic and physical, which had not been the case in the past. In a paper published in 1994, Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre showed theoretically that an FTL warp drive could work within the laws of physics. But it would require huge amounts of negative mass or energy. Such a thing is not known to exist.
0:00 Problem with C
2:21 General Relativity.
3:15 Alcubierre warp.
4:40 Bobrick & Martire solution.
7:15 Types of warp drives.
8:42 Spherical Warp drive.
11:32 FTL using Positive Energy.
13:14 Next steps.
14:08 Further education Brilliant.

In a recent paper published by Applied Physics, authors Alexey Bobrick and Gianni Martire, outline how a physically feasible warp drive could in principle, work, without the need for negative energy. I spoke to them. They had technical input on this video.

What Alcubierre did in his paper is figure out a shape that he believed spacetime needed to have in order for a ship to travel faster than light. Then he solved Einstein’s equation for general relativity to determine the matter and energy he would need to generate the desired curvature. It could only work with negative energy. This is mathematically consistent, but meaningless because negative mass is not known to exist. Negative mass is not the same as anti-matter. Antimatter has positive energy and mass.

Theoretical warp technology exists in what we know as the Alcubierre drive. In this video, I will explain how this theoretical warp technology works and the problems that we face in developing it.
You will also get to see some mathematically accurate simulations of a spaceship using an Alcubierre drive, travelling at 1,000 light years per second!

In Star Trek, Star Wars, Dune and many other sci-fi stories where space travel exists, the common question that viewers have is: how do these humans achieve faster than light travel? The term “Warp travel” and “Warp speed” were originally coined by the Star Trek franchise. It is also known by other franchises as “Jump” or “folding of space” and the engines that cause this to happen are the “warp drive” or the “hyper drive”
Ultimately, the idea of bending space is embedded within all of these sci-fi stories, and with good reason.

It is impossible to travel faster than light within space. But space itself can bend, fold, move, expand at any speed or rate.

The alcubierre drive uses the principals in general relativity to bend space around a spaceship in such a way, that the space itself begins to move, carrying along anything within it. So although the spaceship is not technically moving within the space it occupies, the space around the spaceship allows motion to occur.