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Category: science – Page 28
Blood in Space: Exploring Forensic Science Beyond Earth
With the continued advancement of human space exploration, how can forensic scienceâwhich contributes to the criminal justice system by analyzing evidence through a myriad of methodsâbe applied to outer space? This is what a soon-to-be-published study in Forensic Science International Reports hopes to address as a team of international researchers led by Staffordshire University investigated how bloodstain patterns behave under microgravity conditions. This study holds the potential to help scientists and astronauts better understand how Earth-based science can be applied to space, specifically long-term spaceflight.
âStudying bloodstain patterns can provide valuable reconstructive information about a crime or accident,â said Zack Kowalske, who is a PhD student at Staffordshire University and a Crime Scene Investigator for the Roswell Police Department in the State of Georgia, and lead author of the study. âHowever, little is known about how liquid blood behaves in an altered gravity environment. This is an area of study that, while novel, has implications for forensic investigations in space.â
For the study, the researchers conducted blood spatters experiments on parabolic flights onboard a modified Boeing 747 with an emphasis on observing various angles of impact of the blood droplets and comparing their splatter patterns to those obtained under normal gravity conditions. The reason parabolic flights were used was due to their ability to simulate microgravity conditions, as they are designed to rapidly drop in altitude, thus providing passengers with a few moments of weightlessness.
Can AI Solve Science?
H/T Stephen Wolfram.
Particularly given its recent surprise successes, thereâs a somewhat widespread belief that eventually AI will be able to âdo everythingâ, or at least everything we currently do.
Stephen Wolfram explores the potentialâand limitationsâof AI in science. See cases in which AI will be a useful tool, and in others a less ideal tool.
Intriguing science discoveries of 2023
This year, Rockefeller scientists plumbed the depths of wound repair and tackled how songbirds solve problems; they used microchips to grow mini-lungs and proposed an environmental trigger for multiple sclerosis. Efforts to combat COVID, Hepatitis B, and other infections bore fruit, and countless papers shed light on basic research, answering questions that have long baffled biologists. Here are some of the intriguing discoveries that came out of Rockefeller in 2023.
As the male reproductive system ages, it becomes more and more susceptible to mutations. New research from the laboratory of Li Zhao explored this phenomenon in fruit flies, by focusing on how mutations arise during the formation of sperm. The team found that, while mutations are common in the testes of both young and old flies, the repair mechanisms that remove those mutations and maintain genomic integrity during spermatogenesis become less efficient in older individuals, leading to the accumulation and persistence of more mutations in older flies.
Science 101: What are Dark Matter and Dark Energy?
Argonneâs Science 101 series takes you back to the basics, with plain-language explanations of the scientific concepts behind our pivotal discoveries and our biggest innovations.
In this Science 101 video, postdoctoral researchers Gillian Beltz-Mohrmann and Florian KĂ©ruzorĂ© explore two of the biggest mysteries in science: dark matter and dark energy. These strange influences seem to be stretching the universe apart and clumping stuff together in unexpected ways. Together, they make up a whopping 95% of the universe, but because we canât see or touch them, we donât know what they are.
Researchers around the globe, including scientists at the U.S. Department of Energyâs Argonne National Laboratory, are investigating the nature of dark matter and dark energy through large cosmological surveys, particle physics experiments and advanced computing and simulation.
Find out more about Argonne Science 101 âșâș https://www.anl.gov/science-101
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Alarming: Fraud spreads in Science â and I fear it will become worse
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Resurrecting niobium for quantum science
For years, niobium was considered an underperformer when it came to superconducting qubits. Now, scientists supported by Q-NEXT have found a way to engineer a high-performing niobium-based qubit and take advantage of niobiumâs superior qualities.
When it comes to quantum technology, niobium is making a comeback.
For the past 15 years, niobium has been sitting on the bench after experiencing a few mediocre at-bats as a core qubit material.
Materialism matters: The role of philosophy in science
In this first article in a series on philosophy and science, we take a look at materialism and why it is fundamental to science.
A short disclaimer before we read further: Iâm a materialist. Materialism is a branch of philosophy to which the sciences, particularly the physical and life sciences, owe a lot. Materialism posits that the material world â matter â exists, and everything in the Universe, including consciousness, is made from or is a product of matter. An objective reality exists and we can understand it. Without materialism, physics, chemistry, and biology as we know it wouldnât exist.
Another branch of philosophy, idealism, is in direct contradiction to materialism. Idealism states that, instead of matter, the mind and consciousness are fundamental to reality; that they are immaterial and therefore independent of the material world.