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Mar 27, 2024

New view of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way hints at an exciting hidden feature (image)

Posted by in category: cosmology

The results suggest a deeper investigation of Sgr A* may uncover hitherto undiscovered features.

The polarization of light and neat and strong magnetic fields of Sgr A*, and the fact that they closely resemble that of M87*, may indicate that our central black hole has been hiding a secret from us until now.

“We expect strong and ordered magnetic fields to be directly linked to the launching of jets as we observed for M87*,” Issaoun explained. “Since Sgr A*, with no observed jet, seems to have a very similar geometry, perhaps there is also a jet lurking in Sgr A* waiting to be observed, which would be super exciting!”

Mar 27, 2024

AI’s Learning Path: Surprising Uniformity Across Neural Networks

Posted by in categories: information science, robotics/AI

Summary: Neural networks, regardless of their complexity or training method, follow a surprisingly uniform path from ignorance to expertise in image classification tasks. Researchers found that neural networks classify images by identifying the same low-dimensional features, such as ears or eyes, debunking the assumption that network learning methods are vastly different.

This finding could pave the way for developing more efficient AI training algorithms, potentially reducing the significant computational resources currently required. The research, grounded in information geometry, hints at a more streamlined future for AI development, where understanding the common learning path of neural networks could lead to cheaper and faster training methods.

Mar 27, 2024

New analysis reveals a tiny black hole repeatedly punching through a larger black hole’s disk of gas

Posted by in category: cosmology

At the heart of a far-off galaxy, a supermassive black hole appears to have had a case of the hiccups. Astronomers from MIT, Italy, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere have found that a previously quiet black hole, which sits at the center of a galaxy about 800 million light years away, has suddenly erupted, giving off plumes of gas every 8.5 days before settling back to its normal, quiet state.

Mar 27, 2024

Don’t take tension, but the universe expands

Posted by in category: space

The world of science is full of important constants such as pi and the Hubble Constant, which reveals the universe’s expansion. Edwin Hubble linked red shift to distance, estimating the Hubble Constant at 500km/s/mpc, now revised to 65km/s/mpc.

Mar 27, 2024

W8 V1 — Neuromorphic computing

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

This video is part of the open course “Neuroscience for machine learners”. Find out more at https://neuro4ml.github.io/

Mar 27, 2024

Europe’s longest hyperloop test track revives futuristic tube transport hype

Posted by in categories: futurism, transportation

Operators hope newly opened Dutch track will help prove feasibility of high-speed shuttle system.

Mar 27, 2024

Insights into Black Hole Feeding: Polarized Light Studies of Sgr A*

Posted by in category: cosmology

“Along with Sgr A* having a strikingly similar polarization structure to that seen in the much larger and more powerful M87* black hole, we’ve learned that strong and ordered magnetic fields are critical to how black holes interact with the gas and matter around them,” said Dr. Sara Issaoun.


A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters discusses the most recent image of the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A, which is located approximately 27,000 light-years from Earth at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. These new images that were obtained by Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration are the first to identify the magnetic field lines of Sgr A* and comes after EHT first obtained images of Sgr A* in 2022. This study, which consists of more than 150 co-authors, holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the compositions of supermassive black holes throughout the universe.

For the study, the collaborative team of researchers used EHT to measure polarized light emitted by Sgr A*, which not only revealed the magnetic field lines for the first time, but also gained valuable insight into the properties and behavior of the magnetic field, as well. This study comes after astronomers previously identified the supergiant elliptical galaxy, M87*, was emitting powerful jets at nearly the speed of light after astronomers had discovered it also had large magnetic field lines. Therefore, researchers hope this recent study could produce the same long-term result.

Continue reading “Insights into Black Hole Feeding: Polarized Light Studies of Sgr A*” »

Mar 27, 2024

DNA Damage and Inflammation Key to Memory Formation

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Summary: Researchers unveiled a groundbreaking discovery that DNA damage and brain inflammation are vital processes for forming long-term memories, particularly within the brain’s hippocampus.

Contrary to previous beliefs associating inflammation with neurological diseases, this study highlights inflammation’s critical role in memory formation through the activation of the Toll-Like Receptor 9 (TLR9) pathway following DNA damage in hippocampal neurons.

These findings not only challenge conventional views on brain inflammation but also caution against indiscriminate inhibition of the TLR9 pathway, given its importance in memory encoding and the potential risks of genomic instability.

Mar 27, 2024

Unlocking TNA: Researchers Develop Artificial Building Blocks of Life

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Groundbreaking research has led to the creation of threofuranosyl nucleic acid (TNA), offering enhanced stability and therapeutic potential, with applications in drug delivery and diagnostics.

The DNA carries the genetic information of all living organisms and consists of only four different building blocks, the nucleotides. Nucleotides are composed of three distinctive parts: a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and one of the four nucleobases adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. The nucleotides are lined up millions of times and form the DNA double helix, similar to a spiral staircase.

Breakthrough in Nucleic Acid Research.

Mar 27, 2024

Antibody therapy makes the immune systems of old mice young again

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A novel antibody therapy makes the immune system of old mice appear younger, allowing the animals to better fend off infections and reduce inflammation.

By Grace Wade

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