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“Extracting reliable records from rocks this old is extremely challenging, and it was really exciting to see primary magnetic signals begin to emerge when we analyzed these samples in the lab.” said Dr. Claire Nichols.

How long has the Earth’s magnetic field existed? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth hopes to address as a team of international researchers discovered evidence indicating that the Earth’s magnetic field existed as far back as 3.7 billion years ago and was approximately half as strong as it is today, which puts this as the oldest evidence of Earth’s magnetic field to date. This study holds the potential to help scientists better understand the processes responsible for producing the Earth’s magnetic field, which is responsible for shielding the planet’s atmosphere and surface from harmful space weather.

For the study, the researchers analyzed iron-bearing rock formations among the Isua Supracrustal Belt in Southern West Greenland whose iron particles record the direction and strength of the magnetic field and are locked in time due to crystallization. In the end, the researchers determined that the iron particles exhibit evidence of the Earth’s magnetic field from 3.7 billion years ago along with its strength being half of what it is today.

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In a new study published inNature Physics, scientists at the MAJORANA Collaboration have tested the stringency of charge conservation and Pauli’s exclusion principles using underground detectors. Alessio Porcelli has published a News & Views piece on the research in the same journal.

Today, the Standard Model of particle physics is one of two pillars on which modern physics rests. It successfully explains three out of the four fundamental forces and how subatomic particles behave.

Pauli’s exclusion principle and the conservation of charge are two of the principles arising from the symmetries in the Standard Model. They have withstood many theoretical challenges and have repeatedly proven to the point where they are considered axiomatic.

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New research from the group of MIT Professor Brett McGuire has revealed the presence of a previously unknown molecule in space. The team’s open-access paper, “Rotational Spectrum and First Interstellar Detection of 2-Methoxyethanol Using ALMA Observations of NGC 6334I,” was published in the April 12 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Zachary T.P. Fried, a graduate student in the McGuire group and the lead author of the publication, worked to assemble a puzzle comprised of pieces collected from across the globe, extending beyond MIT to France, Florida, Virginia, and Copenhagen, to achieve this exciting discovery.

“Our group tries to understand what molecules are present in regions of where stars and solar systems will eventually take shape,” explains Fried. “This allows us to piece together how chemistry evolves alongside the process of star and planet formation. We do this by looking at the rotational spectra of molecules, the unique patterns of light they give off as they tumble end-over-end in space.

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In a recent interview, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shared his vision for the future, predicting that humanoid robots will soon become mainstream products, revolutionizing various industries.

Huang emphasized that manufacturing costs for humanoid robots will be surprisingly low, comparable to the price range of cheap cars. He proposed a price range of $10,000 to $20,000 for these robots, making them accessible to a wide range of consumers.

Drawing parallels with the automotive industry, Huang highlighted the potential flexibility and versatility of robots in certain man-made environments. He suggested that these robots could handle dangerous, repetitive, or tedious tasks, enhancing efficiency and safety in workplaces.

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The gang, which calls itself RansomHub, published several files on its dark web leak site containing personal information about patients across an array of documents, some of which included internal files related to Change Healthcare. RansomHub said it would sell the stolen data unless Change Healthcare paid a ransom.

In a statement provided to TechCrunch, UnitedHealth spokesperson Tyler Mason confirmed the company paid the cybercriminals. “A ransom was paid as part of the company’s commitment to do all it could to protect patient data from disclosure.” The company would not confirm the amount it paid.

RansomHub is the second gang to demand a ransom from Change Healthcare. The health tech giant reportedly paid $22 million to a Russia-based criminal gang called ALPHV in March, which then disappeared, stiffing the affiliate that carried out the data theft out of their portion of the ransom.

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Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.

The study, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, also sheds light on the mechanism of action of some existing chemotherapy drugs.

“We think this research solves the mystery of how DNA double-strand breaks and the nuclear envelope connect for repair in human cells,” said Professor Karim Mekhail, co-principal investigator on the study and a professor of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

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Unlike electrons, particles of light are uncharged, so they do not respond to magnetic fields. Despite this, researchers have now experimentally made light effectively “feel” a magnetic field within a complicated structure called a photonic crystal, which is made of silicon and glass.

Within the crystal, the light spins in circles and the researchers observed, for the first time, that it forms discrete energy bands called Landau levels, which parallels a well-known phenomenon seen in electrons.

This finding could point to new ways to increase the interaction of light with matter, an advance that has the potential to improve photonic technologies, like very small lasers.

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The world’s most advanced solar sail spacecraft began its odyssey today at 23:32 GMT as it lifted off atop a Rocket Lab Electron launcher from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. It was one of two payloads on the Beginning Of The Swarm mission.

Though it’s only the size of a microwave oven, NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) can unfurl a microscopically thin plastic sail in about 25 minutes to cover an area of 860 ft² (80 m²) with a boom unfolding from the size of a hand to 23-ft (7-m) long. It’s not the first solar sail to be sent into space, but its boom made of lightweight polymer composites and specially configured to stow flat is a major step in making such sails lighter and more stable.

After a 32-minute delay due to technical difficulties, the Electron rocket lifted off with the ACS3 and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology’s (KAIST) NEONSAT-1, an Earth observation satellite. Having cleared the launch pad, the rocket went supersonic at the 55-second mark and passed Max-Q at one minute and seven seconds. The first stage engine cut off at two minutes and 24 seconds into the flight with second stage separation four seconds later and second stage ignition three seconds after that.

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