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“This Plane Just Did the Impossible”: Historic Supersonic Flight Silences the Sky with Zero Sonic Boom for First Time Ever

The aviation industry witnessed a monumental breakthrough on February 10, 2025, as Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 aircraft accomplished what many experts deemed impossible. Flying over the Mojave Desert at speeds exceeding the sound barrier, the aircraft achieved something unprecedented in aviation history: supersonic flight without generating a sonic boom. This revolutionary achievement has opened new possibilities for the future of air travel.

For decades, the notorious sonic boom has been the Achilles’ heel of supersonic travel. When aircraft exceed the speed of sound (approximately 761 miles per hour at sea level), they create powerful shock waves that culminate in the distinctive thunderous crack heard on the ground. This disruptive phenomenon has historically restricted supersonic flights to ocean routes, as demonstrated by the iconic Concorde.

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 has changed this narrative through its implementation of Mach cutoff technology. This innovative approach exploits atmospheric conditions to redirect shock waves upward rather than toward the ground. By carefully selecting specific flight altitudes and analyzing atmospheric data, the aircraft effectively minimizes the impact of these pressure waves.

High-velocity molecular clouds in M83 provide new insight into how galaxies evolve

A new result from the molecular gas survey in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Telescope reveals a discovery of 10 high-velocity clouds composed of molecular gas, moving at velocities significantly different from M83’s overall rotation, an indication that the influx of these gases—which help to form stars—are from outside the galaxy.

This survey is led by Jin Koda, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University, who collaborated with Maki Nagata and Fumi Egusa, of the University of Tokyo, as well as an international team of astrophysicists. Their findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Galaxies are primarily composed of stars and gas, with gas serving as the material for forming new stars. Through this process of star formation, galaxies evolve by converting gas into stars. It is estimated that without a supply of gas from external sources, the existing gas in a galaxy would be consumed within about 1 billion years and star formation would cease. The team’s finding on the of M83 provides new insight into how galaxies may evolve over millions and billions of years.

New neurons continue to form in the adult human hippocampus: Study

A study in the journal Science presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. The research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden provides answers to a fundamental and long-debated question about the human brain’s adaptability.

The hippocampus is a brain region that is essential for learning and memory and involved in emotion regulation. Back in 2013, Jonas Frisén’s research group at Karolinska Institutet showed in a high-profile study that can form in the hippocampus of adult humans. The researchers then measured carbon-14 levels in DNA from , which made it possible to determine when the cells were formed.

First Step Towards an Artificial Human Genome Now Underway

As if sequencing a full human genome wasn’t tricky enough, scientists are now attempting to reconstruct our species’ genetic material from the ground up.

It’s an ambitious and controversial project called the Synthetic Human Genome (SynHG) project, and work has already begun on a proof-of-concept.

The goal of this crucial first step is to use the human genome blueprint to write the genetic code for a single, enormously long strand of DNA in just one of our chromosomes – making up approximately 2 percent of our total genome.

“There is only one interpretation of quantum mechanics” | David Deutsch FULL INTERVIEW

David Deutsch, known as the ‘father of quantum computing’, explains how accepting the reality of quantum mechanics means accepting the multiverse.

How are the branches of a multiverse different from each other?

With a free trial, you can watch David Deutsch debate infinity with George Ellis and Sara Walker at https://iai.tv/video/the-edge-of-the-universe?utm_source=You…of-reality.

The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics says that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realised in different worlds. These many worlds have proved extremely contentious, with critics arguing that they are mere fantasy. In this exclusive interview, leading physicist David Deutsch explains the philosophy behind the many-worlds interpretation and argues that not only is it the best interpretation of quantum mechanics – it is the only interpretation.

#quantum #quantummechanics #quantumphysics #quantumcomputing.

David Deutsch is a theoretical physicist best known as the founding father of quantum computation and as a key figure and advocate for the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Deutsch is a Visiting Professor of physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation and the Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University. Interviewed by Charlie Barnett, Senior Producer at the IAI.

Continue reading ““There is only one interpretation of quantum mechanics” | David Deutsch FULL INTERVIEW” | >

“Uncharted Waters”: Large Hadron Collider Begins Colliding Oxygen For The First Time

For example, when studying heavier ion collisions and xenon-xenon collisions, scientists at ATLAS saw “jet quenching”, as high-energy particles lose energy as they negotiate the quark-gluon plasma. Jet quenching was not seen in proton-lead collisions, which formed a smaller quark-gluon plasma system.

“Theory predicts we should see the onset of jet quenching in oxygen–oxygen collisions,” Longo added. “If we observe even modest suppression, it could pin down the critical system size at which jet quenching begins.”

Also of interest in these studies is the “collective flow” seen in the collective motion of particles that emerge from the quark-gluon plasma. Studying oxygen collisions could help tell us more about this collective behavior, whilst also telling us about the geometrical structure of oxygen nuclei. Meanwhile, colliding neon could tell us about its structure too, thought to be roughly in the shape of a bowling pin. The shape itself could have an impact on the formation of quark-gluon plasma.

DNA Nanotubule‐Based Nanodevices with ATP‐Responsive Gating for Direct Cytosolic Delivery of Nucleic Acids and Proteins

Schematic illustration of two pathways for macromolecular therapeutics delivery: nanoparticle-adopted endocytosis (left) and DNA nanotubule-mediated cytosolic delivery (right). By bypassing conventio…