Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 3

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

Log in for authorized contributors

How Do Quarks Really Move? New Theory Unlocks Decades-Old Physics Mystery

Nuclear physicists have developed a new theoretical framework that allows them to calculate a crucial quantity for understanding the three-dimensional movement of quarks inside a proton. Using this innovative method, researchers have created a far more precise picture of the quarks’ transverse motion, the movement that occurs around a proton’s spin axis and at right angles to its forward direction.

The latest calculations align closely with model-based reconstructions derived from particle collision data. They are especially effective for describing quarks with low transverse momentum, a region where older techniques lacked precision. Scientists plan to use this refined approach to better predict the full 3D behavior of quarks and the gluons that bind them in upcoming collider experiments.

Understanding the source of proton spin is one of the key scientific objectives of the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). At this facility, collisions between spin-aligned protons and high-energy electrons will make it possible to measure the transverse motion of quarks and gluons within protons with remarkable accuracy.

Scientists Finally Peek Inside an “Impossible” Superconductor

High-pressure electron tunneling spectroscopy reveals the presence of a superconducting gap in H₃S and D₃S. Superconductors are special materials that allow electricity to flow without any resistance, making them essential for advanced technologies such as power transmission, energy storage, magnet

Want a younger brain? Learn another language

Speaking multiple languages could slow down brain ageing and help to prevent cognitive decline, a study of more than 80,000 people has found.

The work, published in Nature Aging on 10 November1, suggests that people who are multilingual are half as likely to show signs of accelerated biological ageing as are those who speak just one language.

“We wanted to address one of the most persistent gaps in ageing research, which is if multilingualism can actually delay ageing,” says study co-author Agustín Ibáñez, a neuroscientist at the Adolfo Ibáñez University in Santiago, Chile. Previous research in this area has suggested that speaking multiple languages can improve cognitive functions such memory and attention2, which boosts brain health as we get older. But many of these studies rely on small sample sizes and use unreliable methods of measuring ageing, which leads to results that are inconsistent and not generalizable.

“The effects of multilingualism on ageing have always been controversial, but I don’t think there has been a study of this scale before, which seems to demonstrate them quite decisively,” says Christos Pliatsikas, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Reading, UK. The paper’s results could “bring a step change to the field”, he adds.

They might also “encourage people to go out and try to learn a second language, or keep that second language active”, says Susan Teubner-Rhodes, a cognitive psychologist at Auburn University in Alabama.

Continue reading “Want a younger brain? Learn another language” | >

Water Lingered Underground on Mars

“Our findings show that Mars didn’t simply go from wet to dry,” said Dr. Dimitra Atri. “Even after its lakes and rivers disappeared, small amounts of water continued to move underground, creating protected environments that could have supported microscopic life.”

How long did Mars have habitable conditions for life? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets hopes to address as a team of scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi investigated how surface and subsurface environments could have provided conditions suitable for life for greater periods than previously thought. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand past environments on Mars and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from NASA’s Curiosity rover, which is currently exploring Gale Crater, a location of ancient water on Mars. The researchers compared data from wind-formed features called dunes, potential ancient groundwater and subsurface water, and analog studies in the United Arab Emirates. Dunes are widespread on Mars and have long helped researchers understand global weather patterns, specifically regarding dust transportation. In the end, the researchers found that dunes interacting with watery environments could be potential locations to search for life on Mars, specifically regarding how they transported water from the surface to the subsurface.

/* */