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May 3, 2016

Why is space three-dimensional?

Posted by in categories: physics, space

(Phys.org)—The question of why space is three-dimensional (3D) and not some other number of dimensions has puzzled philosophers and scientists since ancient Greece. Space-time overall is four-dimensional, or (3 + 1)-dimensional, where time is the fourth dimension. It’s well-known that the time dimension is related to the second law of thermodynamics: time has one direction (forward) because entropy (a measure of disorder) never decreases in a closed system such as the universe.

In a new paper published in EPL, researchers have proposed that the second law of thermodynamics may also explain why is 3D.

“A number of researchers in the fields of science and philosophy have addressed the problem of the (3+1)-dimensional nature of space-time by justifying the suitable choice of its dimensionality in order to maintain life, stability and complexity,” coauthor Julian Gonzalez-Ayala, at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico and the University of Salamanca in Spain, told Phys.org.

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May 3, 2016

Did WORMHOLES make gravitational waves? Black holes merging may not be the answer

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

WORMHOLES could be responsible for gravitational waves, a new study has suggested, adding more mystery to the “scientific breakthrough of the year”.

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May 3, 2016

World’s Largest Radio Telescope Nears Completion, And It’s Going To Find ALIENS

Posted by in category: futurism

The world’s largest radio telescope is almost finished — and it’s going to try to make contact with extra-terrestrial life.

This fascinating video and stunning photos show how close the 500m wide Aperture Spherical Telescope, or “FAST”, is to completion.

Continue reading “World’s Largest Radio Telescope Nears Completion, And It’s Going To Find ALIENS” »

May 3, 2016

Implant helps teen regain control of hands

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Beautiful


A Blue Springs teen who has struggled to control her hand movements for years is seeing results after a brain implant.

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May 3, 2016

Andron: Movie Trailer

Posted by in category: entertainment

A group of strangers are plunged into a dark, claustrophobic maze where they must fight to survive as the outside world wagers on their fate.

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May 3, 2016

A Tesla Model S equipped with a robotic arm for your wheelchair [Video]

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space, sustainability, transportation

A Germany-based company, Paravan, is a leader in the electric wheelchair market and related accessories to adapt vehicles for people with disabilities. While they mostly work with vans and trucks, their latest product makes almost any car with enough trunk space extremely practical for someone using a wheelchair.

They installed it in a Tesla Model S to illustrate the functionalities of the product and the range of vehicles it can be installed on.

A robotic arm, called Robot 3000, can automatically lift a wheelchair (up to 25 kg – 55 lbs) from the trunk of a vehicle, then it moves the chair to the driver’s side and extends it all the way to the driver’s door.

Continue reading “A Tesla Model S equipped with a robotic arm for your wheelchair [Video]” »

May 3, 2016

How Craig Wright Privately ‘Proved’ He Created Bitcoin — By Andy Greenberg | Wired

Posted by in category: bitcoin

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“Who rumors surfaced early last month that Australian cryptographer Craig Wright would attempt to prove that he created Bitcoin, Gavin Andresen remained skeptical. As the chief scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation, his opinion counts: Andresen is among the earliest programmers for the cryptocurrency, and likely the one who has corresponded more than anyone with Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous, long-lost inventor.”

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May 3, 2016

Virtual Reality Is the Most Powerful Medium of Our Time — By Molly Gottschalk | Artsy

Posted by in categories: media & arts, virtual reality

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“Virtual reality, too, has existed for a long time—at least in some form. In 1935, American science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum planted early seeds of virtual reality with his short story Pygmalion’s Spectacles, having imagined a pair of magic goggles that could transport the wearer into a faraway place—a holographic, multisensory motion picture complete with touch and smell.”

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May 3, 2016

Do we need sex to reproduce?

Posted by in categories: genetics, habitats, sex

The article states that European royal houses are all closely related. Well in humanities history it’s thought that over 80% of all marriages were between second cousins or closer. While until the industrial revolution the nobility would have been the only demographic who could travel further than as far as you can walk from your home and back in a day. So until the industrial revolution the nobility were probably the most genetically diverse demographic.


‘Virgin births’ happen in nature more than we thought, says Frank Swain, so what’s stopping human beings from doing the same?

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May 3, 2016

Comcast Can Now Sell You Fiber Speeds Over Coax, Thanks to a New Modem

Posted by in categories: energy, habitats, internet

Gearing up to offer one-gigabit-per-second Internet service in five U.S. cities this year. The first five cities to see the blazing speed are Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and Miami.


Comcast, the Internet provider everyone loves to hate, is gearing up to offer one-gigabit-per-second Internet service in five U.S. cities this year. The first five cities to see the blazing speed are Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and Miami. In line with Google Fiber, Verizon FiOs, and municipal offerings at one-gigabit speeds to the home, the new Comcast service will dramatically increase download speeds. Most subscribers currently receive download speeds of 25–100 megabits per second. For the customers with a 100Mbps connection, the increase boosts their speed 10 times over. For customers with 25 megabit connections, it’s 40 times faster. At that rate, one could download a full-length HD movie in around seven seconds. Not bad.

What sets Comcast’s gigabit service apart is the fact that the Internet provider is not using fiber optic lines to achieve the mega-fast speeds. Instead the company is using the existing coaxial cable lines that are already piped into people’s homes, giving Comcast a potentially huge advantage over a project like Google Fiber—which requires digging costly trenches through cities to lay fiber cables.

Continue reading “Comcast Can Now Sell You Fiber Speeds Over Coax, Thanks to a New Modem” »