The field of plate tectonics is relatively new, and researchers are still uncovering the intricacies of geologic faults that cause earthquakes. One such fault, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, is a potentially catastrophic offshore fault located in the Pacific Northwest that has yet to reveal all its secrets. Despite its eerie calmness, it is capable of producing a massive magnitude-9 quake.
A study led by the University of Washington discovered seeps of warm, chemically distinct liquid shooting up from the seafloor about 50 miles off Newport, Oregon. Their research, published in the journal Science Advances.
<em>Science Advances</em> is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal that is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It was launched in 2015 and covers a wide range of topics in the natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, and physics.
Scientists have analyzed the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever detected, named the BOAT (Brightest Of All Time) and GRB 221009A, which was observed by NASA
Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is “To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.” Its core values are “safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion.” NASA conducts research, develops technology and launches missions to explore and study Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. It also works to advance the state of knowledge in a wide range of scientific fields, including Earth and space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, and it collaborates with private companies and international partners to achieve its goals.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered record-high magnetoresistance in graphene.
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a single layer of atoms in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice in which one atom forms each vertex. It is the basic structural element of other allotropes of carbon, including graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes. In proportion to its thickness, it is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel.
A new study shows that an FDA-approved, pharmaceutical-grade formulation of CBD has an antiviral effect in human lung cells and mice, and shows a significant negative association with COVID infection in human patients.
NASA has issued a warning regarding a satellite expected to deorbit on April 19, posing a potential risk of harm on Earth. Here’s what we know.
Update: NASA’s retired RHESSI re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 8:21 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 19. The large flash seen over Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 19 was not the deorbiting satellite.
Some people might be regretting throwing their old cassette tapes.
In the music world, vinyl records get a lot of attention when it comes to physical media. Sales for vinyl records have been on the rise for years, and now the same thing is starting to happen with cassette tapes.
The resurgence of vinyl records has been so strong that it’s not really even a “trend” anymore. In 2021, people spent more on vinyl than CDs for the first time since 1986. Cassette tape sales, on the other hand, have been very low for a long time. However, in the last five years, things are changing.
The cassette tape was introduced in 1963 by Philips. The first cassettes could hold 45 minutes of music on each side, which was much more than vinyl records. But perhaps the biggest advantage of cassette tapes was their compact size.
Donald Hoffman interview on spacetime, consciousness, and how biological fitness conceals reality. We discuss Nima Arkani-Hamed’s Amplituhedron, decorated permutations, evolution, and the unlimited intelligence.
The Amplituhedron is a static, monolithic, geometric object with many dimensions. Its volume codes for amplitudes of particle interactions & its structure codes for locality and unitarity. Decorated permutations are the deepest core from which the Amplituhedron gets its structure. There are no dynamics, they are monoliths as in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Background. 0:00 Highlights. 6:55 The specific limits of evolution by natural selection. 10:50 Don’s born in a San Antonio Army hospital in 1955 (and his parents’ background) 14:44 As a teenager big question he wanted answered, “Are we just machines?“ 17:23 Don’s early work as a vision researcher; visual systems construct. 20:43 Carlos’s 3-part series on Fitness-Beats-Truth Theorem.
Fitness-Beats-Truth Theorem. 22:29 Clarifications on FBT: Game theory simulations & math proofs. 24:20 What does he mean I can’t see reality? Fitness payoff functions don’t know about the truth… 28:23 Evolution shapes sensory systems to guide adaptive behavior… consider the virtual reality headset 32:45 FBT doesn’t include costs for extra bits of information processing 34:40 Joscha Bach’s “There are no colors in the universe”… though even light itself isn’t fundamental! 36:36 Map-territory relationship 40:27 Infinite regress, Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem 42:27 Erik Hoel’s causal emergence theory 45:40 Don’s take on causality: there are no causal powers within spacetime What’s Beyond Spacetime? 50:50 Nima Arkani-Hamed’s Amplituhedron 53:00 What percentage of physicists would agree spacetime is doomed? 56:00 Amplituhedron a static, monolithic, geometric object with many dimensions… 59:23 Ties to holographic principle, Ads-CFT correspondence 1:03:13 Quantum error correction 1:05:23 James Gates’ adinkra animations linking electromagnetism & electron-like objects The Unlimited Intelligence 1:08:30 Does Don still meditate 3 hours every day? 1:11:30 “We’re here for the ride…” 1:12:27 All my theories are trivial, there’s an unlimited intelligence that transcends 1:14:00 Carlos meanders on meditation 1:15:50 “You can’t know the truth, but you can be the truth” 1:17:43 Explore-Exploit Tradeoff (foraging strategy) 1:19:15 “You’re absolutely knocking on the right doors here”… our 4D spacetime for some reason essential for consciousness 1:21:10 Why this world, with these symbols, this interface? 1:22:20 “My guess, one of the cheaper headsets” Conscious Realism 1:24:40 Precise, mathematical model of consciousness… the end of Cantor’s infinities 1:28:30 Fusions of Consciousness paper… bridges between interactions of conscious agents/Markovian dynamics → decorated permutations → the Amplituhedron → spacetime 1:35:20 In a meta way, did Don choose the highest fitness path for his career? 1:39:10 “Don’t believe my theory, not the final word” 1:41:00 Where to find more of Don’s work 🚩Links to Donald Hoffman & More 🚩 “Do we see reality as it is?” (Ted Talk 2015) • Do we see reality…
“Symmetry Does Not Entail Veridicality” lecture (Hoffman 2017) • Don Hoffman — “Sy…
But we expect that it’s in that first tiny fraction of a second that the key features of our universe were imprinted.
The conditions of the universe can be described through its “fundamental constants”—fixed quantities in nature, such as the gravitational constant (called G) or the speed of light (called C). There are about 30 of these representing the sizes and strengths of parameters such as particle masses, forces, or the universe’s expansion. But our theories don’t explain what values these constants should have. Instead, we have to measure them and plug their values into our equations to accurately describe nature.
The values of the constants are in the range that allows complex systems such as stars, planets, carbon, and ultimately humans to evolve. Physicists have discovered that if we tweaked some of these parameters by just a few percent, it would render our universe lifeless. The fact that life exists, therefore, takes some explaining.
