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Violent rocket particles could reshape future spacecraft design

When rockets fire into space, the insides of their engines become an extreme environment where temperatures soar and tiny particles are thrown around at hypersonic speeds. These particles behave in ways that break long-held assumptions, according to new research that could help improve the durability, safety and performance of future space and defense technologies.

The study shows that particles traveling at hypersonic speeds do not remain spherical, instead melting and deforming mid-flight in ways that change how heat, drag and energy move through rocket systems. The findings, published in Physics of Fluids, have led researchers to develop a new drag model that more accurately predicts particle behavior under extreme conditions.

The work was led by researchers from the Southeast University–Monash University Joint Research Institute, Monash University and Shanghai University.

Predicting physics without parameter tuning: A faster computational approach

Numerical simulations in physics often require estimating a multitude of parameters, making the process computationally expensive and complex. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have introduced a new method called the multiparameter eigenvalue-problem emulator, enabling reliable predictions based directly on relationships among known data by eliminating the need for parameter estimation. This innovation considerably reduces computational costs and enables systematic quantification of predictive uncertainty.

Calibrating theoretical models with experimental data is a common practice in physics for predicting previously unobserved phenomena. However, real-world theoretical models are often highly complex, involving numerous numerical quantities, known as parameters, that cannot be directly measured. Researchers must estimate these parameters to compute other observables. This is a process that is computationally demanding and fraught with remarkable challenges in assessing how uncertainties in the parameters affect final predictions.

This study, published in Physical Review Letters, presents a novel fast surrogate model based on a mathematical framework known as the multiparameter eigenvalue-problem emulator. This model directly predicts unknown observables based on relationships among known data, without the need to introduce or estimate parameters.

Stress Can Literally Make You Lose Your Direction, According to New MRI Evidence

People under stress may find it harder to orient themselves in space, and researchers in Bochum have identified a possible reason why. The stress hormone cortisol appears to interfere with the brain system that helps people navigate. It weakens the activity of grid cells, which are important for

New study suggests the brain applies different standards of beauty to paintings and architecture

A recent study published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts provides evidence that the human brain applies different standards of beauty depending on the type of visual art it evaluates. By comparing the visual properties of historical building facades and artistic paintings, scientists found that architects and painters weigh aesthetic features like symmetry and complexity quite differently.

When people look at an image, their appreciation of its beauty relies on several visual variables. These variables include properties such as color, balance, symmetry, complexity, and the relationship between the main subject and its background. Psychological theories of visual perception propose that humans tend to prefer sensory properties that the brain can process easily.

“I have been interested in the Valuation System of the brain, the network that learns and deploys values for decision-making,” said Norberto Grzywacz, a professor of psychology at Loyola University Chicago. “In particular, I have had interests in aesthetic values, which this system also processes. At some point, I asked myself whether aesthetic values in a sensory domain, for example vision, are universal or specific to different domains.”

Oracle WebLogic CVE-2024–21182 Added to KEV Catalog After Active Exploitation

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday added a high-severity security flaw impacting Oracle WebLogic Server to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation.

The vulnerability, CVE-2024–21182 (CVSS score: 7.5), allows an unauthenticated attacker with network access to take control of susceptible servers. It was patched by Oracle in July 2024.

“Oracle WebLogic contains an unspecified vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated attacker with network access via T3, IIOP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server,” CISA said.

Instagram users locked out after Meta AI abused to steal accounts

Multiple Instagram users had their accounts hijacked after attackers convinced Meta’s AI-powered support tools that they were the legitimate owners.

In many cases, impacted users are unable to recover access due to the platform’s use of automated assistance that involves only AI/chatbot loops and no human support agents.

On Monday, multiple holders of rare and high-value accounts reported suddenly losing access to their accounts, claiming that their identities had been verified via facial scans and that they had enabled safeguards such as two-factor authentication (2FA).

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