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A spectacular and explosive volcanic eruption in January 2022 produced the highest plume of steam and ash in recorded history.

The towering column that arose from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai reached a tremendous altitude of 57 kilometers (35 miles) above sea level.

Continue reading “Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Eruption Released The Highest Volcanic Plume Ever Recorded” »

Topological materials are a special kind of material that have different functional properties on their surfaces than on their interiors. One of these properties is electrical. These materials have the potential to make electronic and optical devices much more efficient or serve as key components of quantum computers. But recent theories and calculations have shown that there can be thousands of compounds that have topological properties, and testing all of them to determine their topological properties through experiments will take years of work and analysis. Hence, there is a dire need for faster methods to test and study topological materials.

A team of researchers from MIT, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Argonne National Laboratory proposed a new approach that is faster at screening the candidate materials and can predict with more than 90 percent accuracy whether a material is topological or not. The traditional way of solving this problem is quite complicated and can be explained as follows: Firstly, a method called density functional theory is used to perform initial calculations, which are then followed by complex experiments that involve cutting a piece of material to atomic-level flatness and probing it with instruments under high vacuum.

The new proposed method is based on how the material absorbs X-rays, which is different from the old methods, which were based on photoemissions or tunneling electrons. There are certain significant advantages to using X-ray absorption data, which can be listed as follows: Firstly, there is no requirement for expensive lab apparatus. X-ray absorption spectrometers are used, which are readily available and can work in a typical environment, hence the low cost of setting up an experiment. Secondly, such measurements have already been done in chemistry and biology for other applications, so the data is already available for numerous materials.

A molecule found in green tea helped UCLA biochemists in the discovery of multiple molecules capable of destroying tau fibers.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers used a molecule present in green tea to uncover more molecules that may break up protein tangles in the brain, which are known to cause Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain, causing a decline in mental ability that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are medications that can help ease the symptoms.

Summary: Of patients with dementia, 7% had chronic kidney disease while 9% had albuminuria, a urinary marker for kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease was associated with a 51% increased risk of developing dementia.

Source: American Society of Nephrology.

New research has demonstrated a link between kidney disease and the development of cognitive problems.

For the better part of a century, quantum physics and the general theory of relativity have been a marriage on the rocks. Each perfect in their own way, the two just can’t stand each other when in the same room.

Now a mathematical proof on the quantum nature of black holes just might show us how the two can reconcile, at least enough to produce a grand new theory on how the Universe works on cosmic and microcosmic scales.

A team of physicists has mathematically demonstrated a weird quirk concerning how these mind-bendingly dense objects might exist in a state of quantum superposition, simultaneously occupying a spectrum of possible characteristics.

Scientists have finally solved a centuries-old riddle in the evolution of life on earth, revealing what the first animals to make skeletons looked like. This discovery was possible due to an exceptionally well-preserved collection of fossils discovered in eastern Yunnan Province, China. The results of the research were published on November 2 in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

During an event called the Cambrian Explosion around 550–520 million years ago, the first animals to build hard and robust skeletons appear suddenly in the fossil record in a geological blink of an eye. Many of these early fossils are simple hollow tubes ranging from a few millimeters to many centimeters in length. However, what sort of animals made these skeletons was almost completely unknown, because they lack preservation of the soft parts needed to identify them as belonging to major groups of animals that are still alive today.

This podcast features three executives from quantum-computing companies.

Until now, Mars.

Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent in Mars’ surface resulting in its reddish color and its nickname “The Red Planet.” Mars’ name comes from the Roman god of war.