Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 2

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Space-Filling Aether Theory Makes Comeback

Learn more about your favourite topics in science in the easiest and most engaging way possible with Brilliant! First 30 days are free and 20% off the annual premium subscription when you use our link ➜ https://brilliant.org/sabine.

In the 19th century, scientists came up with the idea of the “aether,” a medium that filled all of space and allowed forces to travel from one place to another. While this was famously proved wrong by the Michelson-Morley experiment, the idea of the aether made a comeback. The new aether is compatible with Einstein’s theories and could explain dark energy and maybe even dark matter. Let’s take a look.

Paper: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract… video comes with a quiz which you can take here: https://quizwithit.com/start_thequiz/.… 🤓 Check out my new quiz app ➜ http://quizwithit.com/ 💌 Support me on Donorbox ➜ https://donorbox.org/swtg 📝 Transcripts and written news on Substack ➜ https://sciencewtg.substack.com/ 👉 Transcript with links to references on Patreon ➜ / sabine 📩 Free weekly science newsletter ➜ https://sabinehossenfelder.com/newsle… 👂 Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl… 🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜ / @sabinehossenfelder 🖼️ On instagram ➜ / sciencewtg #science #sciencenews #physics.

This video comes with a quiz which you can take here: https://quizwithit.com/start_thequiz/.…

🤓 Check out my new quiz app ➜ http://quizwithit.com/
💌 Support me on Donorbox ➜ https://donorbox.org/swtg.
📝 Transcripts and written news on Substack ➜ https://sciencewtg.substack.com/
👉 Transcript with links to references on Patreon ➜ / sabine.
📩 Free weekly science newsletter ➜ https://sabinehossenfelder.com/newsle…
👂 Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl…
🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜
/ @sabinehossenfelder.
🖼️ On instagram ➜ / sciencewtg.

#science #sciencenews #physics

Continue reading “Space-Filling Aether Theory Makes Comeback” | >

New Theory Explains How Time Began

For 72 hours, enjoy 15% OFF on all Hoverpens with code SABINE, or click on the link https://noviumdesign.shop/sabine — Free shipping to most countries. Also on Amazon: https://noviumdesign.shop/jTAp1f.

The biggest open problem in the foundations of physics is that Einstein’s theory of gravity, General Relativity, does not cooperate with quantum mechanics. Physicists have tried to solve this issue by coming up with a theory of quantum gravity, but those theories fall apart when you need them most – inside of black holes and at the Big Bang. Recently, though, physicists published a new calculation for the Big Bang, with a theory called quadratic gravity, which lets us skip over quantum gravity entirely, and that could explain the origin of time. Let’s take a look.

Paper: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract… mugs, posters and more: ➜ https://sabines-store.dashery.com/ 💌 Support me on Donorbox ➜ https://donorbox.org/swtg 👉 Transcript with links to references on Patreon ➜ / sabine 📝 Transcripts and written news on Substack ➜ https://sciencewtg.substack.com/ 📩 Free weekly science newsletter ➜ https://sabinehossenfelder.com/newsle… 👂 Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl… 🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜ / @sabinehossenfelder 📚 Buy my book ➜ https://amzn.to/3HSAWJW #science #sciencenews #physics #gravity This video discusses a new explanation for the beginning of the universe, published in PRL, which addresses quantum gravity and the period before time began. It features a presenter discussing “Asymptotically Safe Gravity” and includes scientific graphics and charts related to cosmological research. This new idea elegantly addresses the origin of the universe and offers a fresh perspective on space time, making it a significant contribution to science news.

👕T-shirts, mugs, posters and more: ➜ https://sabines-store.dashery.com/
💌 Support me on Donorbox ➜ https://donorbox.org/swtg.
👉 Transcript with links to references on Patreon ➜ / sabine.
📝 Transcripts and written news on Substack ➜ https://sciencewtg.substack.com/
📩 Free weekly science newsletter ➜ https://sabinehossenfelder.com/newsle…
👂 Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl…
🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜
/ @sabinehossenfelder.
📚 Buy my book ➜ https://amzn.to/3HSAWJW

#science #sciencenews #physics #gravity.

This video discusses a new explanation for the beginning of the universe, published in PRL, which addresses quantum gravity and the period before time began. It features a presenter discussing \.

Continue reading “New Theory Explains How Time Began” | >

Heisenberg Said Matter Is Made of Forms, Not Objects — Plato Said It 2,300 Years Earlier

Werner Heisenberg (1901–1976) was one of the founders of quantum mechanics — author of the uncertainty principle (1927) and winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was also among the most philosophically engaged physicists of the century. In his late teens he read Plato’s Timaeus in the original Greek (his father was a professor of Greek), and the dialogue’s central idea stayed with him: that the smallest constituents of matter are not material objects but mathematical forms.

In Physics and Philosophy (1958), Heisenberg argued that modern physics \.

Intelligence Without Brains: A Radical New Idea

What if intelligence doesn’t require a brain? Biologist Michael Levin argues that intelligence is not confined to neurons, but exists on a continuum of goal-directed behavior and problem-solving across a wide range of species and systems. Using a framework he calls the “cognitive light cone,” Levin explores diverse forms of intelligence extending all the way down to the cellular level. His research suggests that cells communicate through electrical networks, enabling them to make collective decisions and adapt to unexpected challenges, evidenced by engineered tadpoles capable of seeing through eyes located on their tails. Levin radically challenges the conventional wisdom even further, proposing that forms of intelligence may extend beyond biology to molecular systems and maybe even the weather.

00:00 What is intelligence?
01:03 The field of diverse intelligence.
01:33 Intelligence at the cellular level.
02:08 The cognitive light cone.
03:01 The intelligence of groups of cells.
03:52 The bioelectric language of cells.
04:20 The mind of the body.
04:23 Cells that solve problems.
05:17 The tadpole experiment.
06:25 The cognitive spectrum.
06:48 Can you train a hurricane?
07:03 A new science of intelligence.
07:28 Beyond human biases.

——–
Quanta Magazine is an editorially independent publication supported by the Simons Foundation. We focus on developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences.

READ free math and science articles on the Quanta website: https://www.quantamagazine.org.

LEARN about the Simons Foundation: www.simonsfoundation.org.

FOLLOW our social channels:

Continue reading “Intelligence Without Brains: A Radical New Idea” | >

Orbital Data Centers Are Seductive on Paper, but They Face Daunting Challenges in Reality

But there is a vast difference between launching satellites and operating an industrial-scale computing infrastructure in orbit. Space is unforgiving. Radiation damages electronics. The electronics generate enormous amounts of heat, and getting rid of that heat is surprisingly difficult in space. Repairs are extraordinarily expensive, and every pound launched into orbit still carries a significant cost.

We are engineering professors who study data-center design and space systems engineering. Building a space-based data center will involve considerations from both sides.

First off, consider what goes into an Earth-based data center, like those that you’ve probably begun to see pop up everywhere. These facilities power cloud computing, video streaming, online banking, scientific computing, and increasingly, artificial intelligence. But a data center is much more than a room full of servers.

The hidden structure behind a widely used class of materials

Materials called relaxor ferroelectrics have been used for decades in technologies like ultrasounds, microphones, and sonar systems. Their unique properties come from their atomic structure, but that structure has stubbornly eluded direct measurement.

Now a team of researchers from MIT and elsewhere has directly characterized the three-dimensional atomic structure of a relaxor ferroelectric for the first time. The findings, reported today in Science, provide a framework for refining models used to design next-generation computing, energy, and sensing devices.

“Now that we have a better understanding of exactly what’s going on, we can better predict and engineer the properties we want materials to achieve,” says corresponding author James LeBeau, MIT’s Kyocera Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. “The research community is still developing methods to engineer these materials, but in order to predict the properties those materials will have, you have to know if your model is right.”

Self-Amplifying RNA: Advantages and Challenges of a Versatile Platform for Vaccine Development

Self-amplifying RNA is synthetic nucleic acid engineered to replicate within cells without generating viral particles. Derived from alphavirus genomes, saRNA retains the non-structural elements essential for replication while replacing the structural elements with an antigen of interest. By enabling efficient intracellular amplification, saRNA offers a promising alternative to conventional mRNA vaccines, enhancing antigen expression while requiring lower doses. However, this advantage comes with challenges. In this review, we highlight the key limitations of saRNA technology and explore potential strategies to overcome them. By identifying these challenges, we aim to provide insights that can guide the future design of saRNA-based therapeutics, extending their potential beyond vaccine applications.

/* */