New research links chronic loneliness to strokes, early death, and worse outcomes than poor diet or lack of exercise. Here’s how to fix it.
Category: science – Page 7
“Don’t Talk About Physics Fight Club” Eric Weinstein vs Sean Carroll Science SHOWDOWN
For centuries, scientists have grappled with the most fundamental question of them all — what is reality?Is it a matter of common sense? Or can God or some h…
Science’s ‘Gollum effect’: PhDs bear brunt of territorial behaviour
Almost half of the scientists who responded to a survey have experienced territorial and undermining behaviours from other scientists — most commonly during their PhD studies1. Of those affected, nearly half said that the perpetrator was a high-profile researcher, and one-third said it was their own supervisor.
Most of the survey respondents were ecologists, but the study’s organizers suspect that surveys focusing on other disciplines would yield similar results.
The gatekeeping behaviours that the study documents “damage careers, particularly of early-career and marginalized researchers”, says lead author Jose Valdez, an ecologist at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig. “Most alarming was that nearly one in five of those affected left academia or science entirely.”
Light is the science of the future: The Africans using it to solve local challenges
Light is all around us, essential for one of our primary senses (sight) as well as life on Earth itself. It underpins many technologies that affect our daily lives, including energy harvesting with solar cells, light-emitting-diode (LED) displays and telecommunications through fiber optic networks.
The smartphone is a great example of the power of light. Inside the box, its electronic functionality works because of quantum mechanics. The front screen is an entirely photonic device: liquid crystals controlling light. The back too: white light-emitting diodes for a flash, and lenses to capture images.
We use the word photonics, and sometimes optics, to capture the harnessing of light for new applications and technologies. Their importance in modern life is celebrated every year on 16 May with the International Day of Light.