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Sep 7, 2022

How the best alternative to “quantum spookiness” failed

Posted by in categories: information science, quantum physics, space

For all of history, there’s been an underlying but unspoken assumption about the laws that govern the Universe: If you know enough information about a system, you can predict precisely how that system will behave in the future. The assumption is, in other words, deterministic. The classical equations of motion — Newton’s laws — are completely deterministic. The laws of gravity, both Newton’s and Einstein’s, are deterministic. Even Maxwell’s equations, governing electricity and magnetism, are 100% deterministic as well.

But that picture of the Universe got turned on its head with a series of discoveries that began in the late 1800s. Starting with radioactivity and radioactive decay, humanity slowly uncovered the quantum nature of reality, casting doubt on the idea that we live in a deterministic Universe. Predictively, many aspects of reality could only be discussed in a statistical fashion: where a set of probable outcomes could be presented, but which one would occur, and when, could not be precisely established. The hopes of avoiding the necessity of “quantum spookiness” was championed by many, including Einstein, with the most compelling alternative to determinism put forth by Louis de Broglie and David Bohm. Decades later, Bohmian mechanics was finally put to an experimental test, where it failed spectacularly. Here’s how the best alternative to the spooky nature of reality simply didn’t hold up.

Sep 7, 2022

This Is Why Quantum Mechanics Isn’t Enough To Explain The Universe

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, space

Going to smaller and smaller distance scales reveals more fundamental views of nature, which means if we can understand and describe the smallest scales, we can build our way to […].

Sep 7, 2022

Avi Loeb on ‘Oumuamua, Aliens, Space Archeology, Great Filters, and Superstructures

Posted by in categories: alien life, geopolitics, treaties

Avi Loeb, Professor of Science at Harvard University, joins us to discuss a recent interstellar visitor, if we’ve already encountered alien technology, and whether we’re ultimately alone in the cosmos.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

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Sep 7, 2022

David Chalmers on Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy

Posted by in categories: ethics, neuroscience, virtual reality

David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at NYU, joins us to discuss his newest book Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

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Sep 7, 2022

“Unlimited Possibilities” — New Law of Physics Could Predict Genetic Mutations

Posted by in categories: biological, computing, cosmology, genetics, information science, mathematics, physics

According to a University of Portsmouth study, a new physics law could allow for the early prediction of genetic mutations.

The study discovers that the second law of information dynamics, or “infodynamics,” behaves differently from the second law of thermodynamics. This finding might have major implications for how genomic research, evolutionary biology, computing, big data, physics, and cosmology develop in the future.

Lead author Dr. Melvin Vopson is from the University’s School of Mathematics and Physics. He states “In physics, there are laws that govern everything that happens in the universe, for example how objects move, how energy flows, and so on. Everything is based on the laws of physics. One of the most powerful laws is the second law of thermodynamics, which establishes that entropy – a measure of disorder in an isolated system – can only increase or stay the same, but it will never decrease.”

Sep 7, 2022

Clarketech: Anti-Gravity

Posted by in categories: futurism, physics

Get a free month of Curiosity Stream: http://curiositystream.com/isaacarthur.
Perhaps one of the most common technologies seen in science fiction is anti-gravity and gravity manipulation. Today we’ll examine if there’s an scientific pathways in physics to permit such technology, and what sort of amazing options it might offer if developed in the future.

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Sep 7, 2022

Are warp drives science now?

Posted by in categories: education, mathematics, physics, science, space travel

Check out the math & physics courses that I mentioned (many of which are free!) and support this channel by going to https://brilliant.org/Sabine/ where you can create your Brilliant account. The first 200 will get 20% off the annual premium subscription.

You can support our channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Sabine.

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Sep 7, 2022

10 Unsettling Alien Technosignatures that Could be Very Close

Posted by in category: futurism

An exploration of10 Unsettling Alien Technosignatures that Could be Very Close.

My Appearance on Fade to Black with Jimmy Church.

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Sep 7, 2022

Light accelerates conductivity in nature’s ‘electric grid’

Posted by in categories: energy, nanotechnology

The natural world possesses its own intrinsic electrical grid composed of a global web of tiny bacteria-generated nanowires in the soil and oceans that “breathe” by exhaling excess electrons.

In a new study, Yale University researchers discovered that is a surprising ally in fostering this electronic activity within biofilm bacteria. Exposing bacteria-produced nanowires to light, they found, yielded an up to a 100-fold increase in electrical conductivity.

The findings were published Sept. 7 in the journal Nature Communications.

Sep 7, 2022

Manufacturers could save time and money with the help of new research led by the Clemson Composites Center

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, economics, engineering

The Clemson Composites Center is developing new ways of 3D-printing low-cost manufacturing tools and is funding the research with $5.16 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and industry partners. Collaborators on the project include Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, Ohio State University and Additive Engineering Solutions, LLC.


The Clemson Composites Center is leading a new study that could help manufacturers save time and money while reducing their environmental impact– a project that adds to the center’s fast-growing portfolio of industry-guided automotive and advanced manufacturing research.

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