Scientific bodies are due to make an official decision in the coming year about whether to declare a new geochronological unit precipitated by the impact of humans on Earth.
By Alex Wilkins
New archaeological research reveals that the sea off northwestern Australia once had islands and a massive landmass. This area was so large it could support around half a million people, as reported in a study published in Quaternary Science Review.
The study maps a world that appeared and then disappeared as sea levels changed over the past seventy thousand years. People are believed to have migrated to this part of the world between forty-five thousand to sixty-five thousand years ago.
The area was part of a paleocontinent called Sahul, connecting Australia to New Guinea. The submersion of this land might have led to significant cultural and population changes in northern Australia.
The science of predicting chaotic systems lies at the intriguing intersection of physics and computer science. This field delves into understanding and forecasting the unpredictable nature of systems where small initial changes can lead to significantly divergent outcomes. It’s a realm where the butterfly effect reigns supreme, challenging the traditional notions of predictability and order.
Central to the challenge in this domain is the unpredictability inherent in chaotic systems. Forecasting these systems is complex due to their sensitive dependence on initial conditions, making long-term predictions highly challenging. Researchers strive to find methods that can accurately anticipate the future states of such systems despite the inherent unpredictability.
Prior approaches in chaotic system prediction have largely centered around domain-specific and physics-based models. These models, informed by an understanding of the underlying physical processes, have been the traditional tools for tackling the complexities of chaotic systems. However, their effectiveness is often limited by the intricate nature of the systems they attempt to predict.
Recent Gaia satellite findings suggest that dwarf galaxies are transient and less influenced by dark matter than previously believed, challenging long-held assumptions about their nature and composition.
Commonly thought to be long-lived satellites of our galaxy, a new study now finds indications that most dwarf galaxies might in fact be destroyed soon after their entry into the Galactic halo. Thanks to the latest catalog from ESA’s Gaia satellite, an international team has now demonstrated that dwarf galaxies might be out of equilibrium. The study opens important questions on the standard cosmological model, particularly on the prevalence of dark matter in our nearest environment.
Continue reading “Redefining Cosmic Norms: Dwarf Galaxies and the Dark Matter Enigma” »
Sensing changes in ionic current as barcoded DNA translocates through solid-state nanopores allows the study of how nucleotide sequences alter the DNA-binding specificity of the catalytically inactive Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex.
Slime robots can go places that other robots can’t and could have valuable applications in everything from healthcare to the utilities sector.
A research group from Tohoku University and RIKEN has developed a high-speed, high-sensitivity terahertz-wave detector operating at room temperature, paving the way for advancements in the development of next generation 6G/7G technology.
Details of their breakthrough were published in the journal Nanophotonics on November 9, 2023.
The enhancement of current communications speeds will rely on terahertz (THz) waves. THz waves are electromagnetic waves within the THz range, which falls between the microwave and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically spanning frequencies from 300 gigahertz to 3 THz.
The use of artificial intelligence by the general population in developed countries such as the US to a “significant” degree will start to take place in the next 18 to 24 months, according to Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates in his year-end letter released last week.
The impact on things such as productivity and innovation could be unprecedented, says Gates.
“Artificial intelligence is about to accelerate the rate of new discoveries at a pace we’ve never seen before,” wrote Gates on his blog.
Resurrection biology — attempting to bring strings of molecules and more complex organisms back to life — is gaining traction in labs around the world.
The work is a far cry from the genetically engineered dinosaurs that escape in the blockbuster movie “Jurassic Park,” although for some scientists the ultimate goal is de-extinction and resurrecting animals and plants that have been lost.
Other researchers are looking to the past for new sources of drugs or to sound an alarm about the possibility of long-dormant pathogens. The field of study is also about recreating elements of human history in an attempt to better understand how our ancestors might have lived and died.
