Northwood Space raised $375 million in a Series C funding that valued the Torrance, California-based satellite antenna builder and ground station provider at $2 billion.
Why it matters: Modern and fortified infrastructure on Earth becomes more crucial for commercial, civil and military missions as the number of satellites in orbit swells.
A protein that helps build teeth may one day be used to allow damaged teeth to repair themselves.
That possibility is the focus of research led by Anne George, professor in the Department of Oral Biology at the UIC College of Dentistry. George has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health to advance her studies of dentin phosphophoryn.
Dentin phosphophoryn is mainly found in dentin, which is the mineralized tissue that makes up the bulk of each tooth under its enamel surface. The most acidic protein known in nature, and it helps in the calcification of the protein matrix to form dentin.
Scientists have developed a remarkable new molecular motor that spins when electricity passes through it. Inspired by an ancient invention, the tiny machine can even reverse its direction when the electrical voltage is switched. The achievement marks an important step toward creating working machines at the smallest possible scale.
Molecular machines are widely seen as a promising next frontier in miniaturization. Nature already provides examples inside living cells, where molecular motors use energy to produce movement. Researchers have spent decades trying to recreate these remarkable biological systems artificially, and progress in this field was recognized with the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The plow made men powerful. The pill handed some of that power back to women.
Harvard Business School’s Debora Spar walked me through that idea back in 2020, two years before ChatGPT made everyone suddenly care about how machines reshape our lives.
Her point was bigger than #AI or any single gadget. Technology doesn’t just change how we work. It changes who we marry, how we love, and what we believe men and women are for. Most of us still look at tech through an engineering lens. She insists on the widest lens possible.
Then she told me her book reads history through a Marxist lens. A former Barnard president and HBS dean, saying that on the record.
We also got into why tech self-regulation has never worked, what Keynes predicted for his grandchildren (and us), #FutureOfWork and technological unemployment, and what Tinder is doing to sex and relationships.
Six years later, one question won’t leave me alone: if the plow and the pill rewired the family, what will thinking machines do to it?
All neutron stars have intense magnetic fields. The typical magnetic field of a neutron star is about 100,000 times stronger than the strongest magnetic fields we can create on Earth. But about 1% of neutron stars have even stronger magnetic fields. Known as magnetars, their magnetic fields can be 1,000 times stronger than a regular magnetic field. They are a likely cause of powerful transient events such as soft gamma-ray repeaters and fast radio bursts. A new study looks at how magnetars might form. The findings are published on the arXiv preprint server.
The work focuses on the mergers of binary neutron stars. Often when two neutron stars collide, they form a black hole. This is because the combined mass of the two neutron stars is greater than the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) limit, which is around 2.6 solar masses. Most neutron stars are more massive than white dwarfs, which have a Chandrasekhar limit of about 1.4 solar masses. But some neutron stars have smaller masses. If they happen to have a total mass less than the TOV limit, then they can merge and become a single neutron star.
Using high-resolution simulations run on the Japanese supercomputer FUGAKU, the team looked at the merger of low-mass neutron star binaries. To simplify things a bit, they assumed stars with identical masses, but otherwise typical neutron stars. They assumed the magnetic field strengths of these stars were around 3 trillion gauss, which is in the upper range of typical neutron stars. Their simulations ran from just moments before the stars collide until just after.
Stanford researchers recently revealed how a seemingly physics-defying wireless communication technology works. The new technology, called thermal noise communication, harnesses background static that normally is the bane of radio, cellular and other wireless signals. In their new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team showed how a transmitter could deliver data to a receiver without any actively produced signal by manipulating tiny oscillations in voltage.
The findings describe how the system works at a fundamental level, opening the door to improving the communication mode and determining real-world applications for it. “We’ve built a system that others could very easily implement,” said senior author Zerina Kapetanovic, an assistant professor of electrical engineering.
A physics mystery In her previous research at the University of Washington, Kapetanovic studied agricultural sensing technologies, which inspired her to pursue low-power modes of relaying data like soil moisture levels. She wondered if it might be possible to create a device similar to the radio-frequency identification (RFID) window tags that are used for highway tolls in cars—without requiring an energy-intensive radio signal to ping.
In space, every ship, tug, mass driver, and power beam can become a weapon. We explore how future stations and settlements might defend themselves against attack, sabotage, accidents, and siege.
Explore A Dream Renewed: Space Settlement in the 21st Century: https://sfia.s.gy/a-dream-renewed.
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/ discord Credits: Beyond Space Defense: War, Sabotage & Survival Beyond Earth Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Table of Contents 0:00 Intro 2:45 The War We Already Have in Space 5:38 Fight Far From Home 8:30 The Perimeter 10:50 Everything Is a Potential Weapon 13:45 A Dream Renewed 14:59 Siege Without Shooting 17:38 The City Is Part of Your Spacesuit 22:07 The Hardest Target to Kill.
🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net.
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⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a…
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Credits:
Beyond Space Defense: War, Sabotage \& Survival Beyond Earth.
Written, Produced \& Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Table of Contents.
0:00 Intro.
2:45 The War We Already Have in Space.
5:38 Fight Far From Home.
8:30 The Perimeter.
10:50 Everything Is a Potential Weapon.
13:45 A Dream Renewed.
14:59 Siege Without Shooting.
17:38 The City Is Part of Your Spacesuit.
22:07 The Hardest Target to Kill.
In this study, we aimed to define ageing-related changes in microglial autofluorescence in the hippocampus and ARC, and whether these were associated with spectral and lifetime signatures that can be identified with plasma lipid profiles. First, we established that our mice had a typical ageing brain phenotype. As shown in previous literature, this is marked by reduced numbers of immature neurons, greater microglia numbers, and greater tissue autofluorescence in the brain (Culig et al. 2022 ; Wong 2013), all of which we recapitulate here. Similar to previous studies in rodents and humans, we also see ageing-related changes to central expression of genes indicative of disease-associated states, or at least inflammaging, including genes relating to inflammation (Itgam, Tlr4, Mhc-II, Aif1), Alzheimer’s disease (Sorl1, Mapt, Abca7), and lipid pathways (Hexb, Ch25h, Lpl) (Boche and Gordon 2022 ; Kim 2018 ; Long et al. 2022).
In association with this typical and well-established ageing-brain profile, we revealed that ageing brains have a propensity to accumulate larger-sized aggregates in all hippocampal regions assessed (DG, CA1, and CA3) and the ARC. When assessing the emission spectra of autofluorescence aggregates of varying sizes in young and aged brains, we identified consistent eight spectral peaks common to both age groups. Notably, the red-shifted intensity ratio we observed consistently distinguished aged from young brains, suggesting the potential utility of an overall emission spectral shift as a future spectral biomarker of ageing. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically compare spectral autofluorescence signatures between young and aged brains. We also found that aged tissue exhibited consistently shorter intensity-weighted average lifetimes across all three detection windows compared with young tissue, indicating altered autofluorescence decay dynamics with age. Supporting this interpretation, a previous study examining autofluorescent inclusions in female APPswe: PS1dE9 transgenic mice reported that both plaque-surrounding and plaque-free cells displayed shorter autofluorescence lifetimes than their wild-type counterparts (Gómez et al. 2018). This suggests that changes in autofluorescence lifetime reflect systemic neurodegenerative physiological alterations and are not solely attributable to the presence of disease-specific markers such as amyloid-beta plaques.
One working hypothesis is that these differences likely reflect fundamental physiological changes that accompany ageing. With advancing age, increasing iron accumulation promotes reactive oxygen species formation, which in turn drives lipid peroxidation and the buildup of cross-linked, undegradable biomaterials within lysosomal and autophagosomal compartments of post-mitotic cells (as reviewed in (Yin 1996)). Defective lysosomal acidification–a hallmark of both ageing and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (Lo and Zeng 2023)–further impairs autophagic clearance, exacerbating the accumulation of autofluorescent material (Escrevente et al. 2021). Collectively, these processes may illustrate how ageing-related alterations in cellular maintenance mechanisms, particularly lysosomal and autophagic dysfunction, can create a self-perpetuating cycle of oxidative stress and impaired degradation that underlies the pathogenesis of ageing-related diseases.
Could There Always Be A Branch In Which You Survive? And Would Your Consciousness Necessarily Continue Experiencing That Branch? This Fascinating Question Introduces One Of The Most Controversial Thought Experiments Associated With Quantum Mechanics: Quantum Immortality. But Does Modern Physics Actually Predict That Human Beings Can Never Experience Their Own Death? The Scientific Answer Is That Quantum Immortality Has Not Been Demonstrated, And Quantum Mechanics Does Not Establish Guaranteed Personal Survival. Let Us Examine The Physics Behind This Extraordinary Idea. ⚛️ 1. Quantum Superposition — Multiple Possible Outcomes In Quantum Mechanics, A Physical System Can Exist In A Superposition Of Different States Before Measurement. For A Two-State System, We May Write: |ψ⟩ = α|0⟩ + β|1⟩ Where: |α|² + |β|² = 1 The Squared Magnitudes Of The Probability Amplitudes Determine The Probabilities Of Corresponding Measurement Outcomes. However, Quantum Superposition Does Not Mean That Every Human Decision Automatically Creates Another Universe. 🌌 2. Many-Worlds Interpretation — Does Reality Branch? The Many-Worlds Interpretation, Proposed By Physicist Hugh Everett III In 1957, Offers An Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics Without Fundamental Wavefunction Collapse. Within This Framework, The Universal Quantum State Continues Evolving According To Quantum Dynamics. Different Measurement Outcomes Become Associated With Effectively Distinct Branches. However, Many-Worlds Remains An Interpretation, Not An Experimentally Confirmed Description Of Multiple Accessible Universes. It Does Not Predict That People Can Travel Between Branches. 🌊 3. Quantum Decoherence — Why Branches Appear Separate Quantum Systems Interact With Their Environments. These Interactions Produce Decoherence, Suppressing Observable Interference Between Different Components Of A Quantum State. Decoherence Helps Explain Why Classical-Looking Outcomes Emerge From Quantum Dynamics. But Decoherence Does Not Demonstrate That Consciousness Can Move Between Alternative Realities. Nor Does It Establish Quantum Immortality. 🧠 4. Quantum Immortality — The Consciousness Problem The Quantum Immortality Argument Is Associated With A Controversial Thought Experiment Often Called Quantum Suicide. Its Central Speculation Concerns Whether Subjective Experience Could Continue Only Along Branches In Which An Observer Remains Alive. However, This Argument Requires Additional Assumptions About Consciousness, Personal Identity, And Observer Experience. No Established Scientific Theory Demonstrates That Awareness Must Continue In A Surviving Branch. The Existence Of A Possible Survival Outcome Does Not Establish That An Individual Is Guaranteed To Experience It. 📊 5. Probability & The Born Rule — Why Branch Weights Matter Quantum Mechanics Does Not Assign Equal Probabilities To Every Possible Outcome. The Born Rule Relates Measurement Probabilities To Squared Quantum Amplitudes. Within Many-Worlds, Explaining The Meaning And Derivation Of These Probabilities Is An Important Foundational Question. Even If A Surviving Branch Exists In A Particular Quantum Description, That Does Not Make Survival Certain. Possibility Is Not The Same As Probability, And Probability Is Not The Same As Certainty. 🔍 6. The Scientific Verdict — Is Quantum Immortality Real? Quantum Immortality Has Not Been Experimentally Verified. There Is No Established Evidence That Consciousness Transfers Between Quantum Branches. There Is No Demonstrated Physical Mechanism Guaranteeing Endless Subjective Survival. And There Is No Scientific Justification For Treating Human Mortality As An Illusion. The Many-Worlds Interpretation Raises Important Questions About Reality, Measurement, Probability, And The Nature Of Observation. But Those Questions Must Not Be Confused With Proof Of Immortality. 💡 Why Is This Topic Scientifically Important? Quantum Immortality Encourages Us To Examine The Difference Between Mathematical Possibility And Physical Prediction. It Also Raises Deeper Questions: 🔹 What Does A Quantum Measurement Actually Mean? 🔹 How Does Decoherence Produce Effectively Classical Outcomes? 🔹 How Should Probability Be Understood Within Many-Worlds? 🔹 What Determines Personal Identity Across Hypothetical Branches? 🔹 Can Subjective Experience Be Explained Through Established Physical Principles? These Questions Remain Relevant To Quantum Foundations, Philosophy Of Physics, And The Scientific Study Of Consciousness. ⚠️ An Essential Scientific And Safety Clarification Quantum Immortality Provides No Basis For Taking Life-Threatening Risks. The Thought Experiment Does Not Demonstrate That Dangerous Actions Are Survivable Or That Death Can Be Avoided. Real-World Safety Must Never Be Compromised By Speculative Interpretations Of Quantum Mechanics. 🌠 Our Final Scientific Takeaway The Many-Worlds Interpretation Does Not Establish That Consciousness Transfers Between Branches Or That Any Individual Is Immortal. Quantum Immortality Is A Fascinating Philosophical And Scientific Thought Experiment, But It Is Not An Established Prediction Of Quantum Physics. The Real Scientific Achievement Lies In Understanding What Quantum Mechanics Demonstrates, What Its Interpretations Propose, And What Remains Unknown. Science Becomes More Powerful When We Clearly Distinguish Evidence From Speculation. 📚 Scientific Note: This Post Is Intended For Physics Education. It Discusses A Speculative Thought Experiment And Does Not Present Quantum Immortality As A Verified Scientific Phenomenon. 🎥 YouTube Channel: Quaint Cosmos 🌍 Motto: RESPECT EVERY CULTURE. EXPLORE EVERY TECHNOLOGY. 📱 WhatsApp: (+91) 7,449,707,694 #QuantumImmortality #QuantumMechanics #ManyWorldsInterpretation #QuantumDecoherence #QuantumPhysics #Consciousness #ScienceEducation #QuaintCosmos
