discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

CraigD · Oct 19, 2020

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

CraigD · Jan 10, 2021

Apple, Amazon, Google ban social media platform Parler in wake of US Capitol riots

Apple and Amazon will suspended a social media platform described as a "free speech" Twitter clone from their App Store and web hosting service respectively, saying it has not taken adequate measures to prevent the spread of posts inciting violence.

Key points:

Apple says social networking service Parler has not taken adequate measures to prevent the spread of posts inciting violence
Parler CEO John Matze says the same standards are not being applied to other social media sites
An expert has reject arguments from US conservatives Mr Trump's social media bans breach free speech rights

The action against the social networking service, Parler, follows a similar move by Alphabet Inc's Google.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01...-parler-from-app-store-after-us-riot/13045868

CraigD · Jan 10, 2021

I'm blind, but I love going to the movies. Here's how it works

By Richard Kakol

Most people have no idea how a person who is blind experiences a film. Unless you are vision-impaired, you probably wouldn't know about audio description (AD).

AD is a separate audio track which provides a verbal description of all the visual elements of a movie. Cinema chains offer AD for some films, which is what allows me to enjoy them.

The cinema staff give you a receiver and you can plug in headphones so as not to disturb other patrons.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-10/blind-disability-but-i-love-the-movies-film/12958854

koolishman · Jan 10, 2021

Study: Religion, psychology share methods for reducing distress

Religious people facing life crises rely on emotion-regulation strategies that psychologists also use, a new study finds. They look for positive ways of thinking about hardship, a practice known to psychologists as "cognitive reappraisal." They also tend to have confidence in their ability to cope with difficulty, a trait called "coping self-efficacy." Both have been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The new findings are reported in the Journal of Religion and Health.

"It appears that religious people are making use of some of the same tools that psychologists have systematically identified as effective in increasing well-being and protecting against distress," said Florin Dolcos, a professor of psychology in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who led the study with psychology professor Sanda Dolcos and graduate student Kelly Hohl. "This suggests that science and religion are on the same page when it comes to coping with hardship," he said.

koolishman · Jan 10, 2021

New Study Finds that Delivering the News with Humor Makes Young Adults More Likely to Remember and Share

In the early decades of televised news, Americans turned to the stern faces of newsmen like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather as trusted sources for news of the important events in America and around the world, delivered with gravitas and measured voices. The rise of comedy-news programs, helmed by the likes of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Trevor Noah, and Samantha Bee, raised concerns over the blending of entertainment and news. But could the merging of humor and news actually help inform the public?

In fact, new research suggests that humor may help keep people informed about politics. A study from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the School of Communication at Ohio State University found that, when compared to non-humorous news clips, viewers are not only more likely to share humorously-presented news, but they are also more likely to remember the content from these segments.

Participants were more likely to remember information about politics and government policy when it was conveyed in a humorous rather than non-humorous manner and were more willing to share the information online. The findings also show that humorous news clips elicited greater activity in brain regions associated with thinking about what other people think and feel, which highlights the social nature of comedy.

Cal2 · Jan 11, 2021

koolishman said:
New Study Finds that Delivering the News with Humor Makes Young Adults More Likely to Remember and Share

In the early decades of televised news, Americans turned to the stern faces of newsmen like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather as trusted sources for news of the important events in America and around the world, delivered with gravitas and measured voices. The rise of comedy-news programs, helmed by the likes of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Trevor Noah, and Samantha Bee, raised concerns over the blending of entertainment and news. But could the merging of humor and news actually help inform the public?

In fact, new research suggests that humor may help keep people informed about politics. A study from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the School of Communication at Ohio State University found that, when compared to non-humorous news clips, viewers are not only more likely to share humorously-presented news, but they are also more likely to remember the content from these segments.

Participants were more likely to remember information about politics and government policy when it was conveyed in a humorous rather than non-humorous manner and were more willing to share the information online. The findings also show that humorous news clips elicited greater activity in brain regions associated with thinking about what other people think and feel, which highlights the social nature of comedy.

Makes sense. Create something that's 'distinctive', which humour is based on - distinctive from one's usual way of looking at things - and you have a key element for better remembering things.

The significance of humour

- https://informalcoalitions.typepad....r-pattern-switching-and-lateral-thinking.html

Cannuck · Jan 11, 2021

Unreal.

Are we in a state of constant quantum entanglement? explore...

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

koolishman said:
Study: Religion, psychology share methods for reducing distress

Religious people facing life crises rely on emotion-regulation strategies that psychologists also use, a new study finds. They look for positive ways of thinking about hardship, a practice known to psychologists as "cognitive reappraisal." They also tend to have confidence in their ability to cope with difficulty, a trait called "coping self-efficacy." Both have been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The new findings are reported in the Journal of Religion and Health.

"It appears that religious people are making use of some of the same tools that psychologists have systematically identified as effective in increasing well-being and protecting against distress," said Florin Dolcos, a professor of psychology in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who led the study with psychology professor Sanda Dolcos and graduate student Kelly Hohl. "This suggests that science and religion are on the same page when it comes to coping with hardship," he said.

Much like a religious crisis of faith, I imagine that this is currently a big issue in the US amongst those with a particular hard-wired belief in a political movement that has recently failed them.

It must be a very tough time for some.

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

Baby Tasmanian tiger skulls more similar to wolf pups than to other Australian marsupials

Tasmanian tigers and dogs last shared a common ancestor 160 million years ago, but new research has revealed the thylacine resembled its distant relative from birth.

Scientists from the University of Melbourne and Flinders University used micro-CT scanning and digital reconstructions to compare the skulls of Tasmanian tiger pups and wolf pups.

"The Tasmanian tiger in particular really captivated us, because it had a pouch, it was a marsupial, but it evolved to be very dog-like," lead author Dr Axel Newton said.

Key points:

The Tasmanian tiger and wolves last shared a common ancestor 160 million years ago

Scientists have discovered the two species skulls share similarities from younger age than previously thought

The researchers used micro-CT scanning to compare the skulls of thylacine pups and wolf puppies

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-11/tasmanian-tiger-pup-skulls-similar-to-wolves/13046480

Tasmanian tigers have been extinct since the last animal died in captivity at Hobart's Beaumaris Zoo in 1936 (one of the two pictured above).

More Information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine

The thylacine was relatively shy and nocturnal, with the general appearance of a medium-to-large-size dog, except for its stiff tail and abdominal pouch similar to that of a kangaroo, and dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, reminiscent of a tiger. The thylacine was a formidable apex predator,[5] though exactly how large its prey animals were is disputed. Because of convergent evolution, it displayed an anatomy and adaptations similar to the tiger and wolf of the Northern Hemisphere, despite being unrelated. Its closest living relatives are the Tasmanian devil and the numbat. The thylacine was one of only two marsupials to have a pouch in both sexes: the other (still extant) species is the water opossum from Central and South America. The pouch of the male thylacine served as a protective sheath, covering the external reproductive organs.

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

LG shows the future of OLED displays at this year’s virtual CES

CES 2021 may be virtual, but that’s not stopping LG from showing its futuristic display concepts to the world. This year, LG has six different display innovations to show off, each with various real-world use-cases.

https://www.androidauthority.com/lg-ces-2021-display-concepts-1191331/

LG wants to use transparent OLED displays for ‘invisible’ bedroom TVs

https://www.androidauthority.com/lg-transparent-oled-display-bedroom-tv-1188968/

koolishman · Jan 11, 2021

Megalodon sharks ate their siblings in the womb, new study suggests

According to a study on the extinct animals by paleaobiologists at Chicago’s DePaul University, it’s likely that embryonic megatooth sharks fed on unhatched eggs in their mother’s womb. In short, even before preying on other species in the ocean, megalodon feasted on their own unborn siblings first.

This finding was part of larger research examining the reproductive biology and growth of the shark. Using CT scanning techniques on megalodon vertebrae fossils, scientists were able to identify ‘growth bands’, similar to tree rings, that reveal how much the shark grew each year.

The gigantic size of the shark at birth indicated to scientists that, just like present-day lamniform sharks, embryonic megalodons fed on eggs in the womb. The researchers believe this (downright grim) form of cannibalism, known as oophagy, was needed to birth sharks already big enough to compete with fellow predators.

Video:Sand Tiger sharks eating siblings in womb.

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

The rise of apocalyptic novels

In our times of uncertainty, the latest fiction about climate disaster is unsettling – but also strangely comforting. Hephzibah Anderson speaks to the authors.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210108-the-rise-of-apocalyptic-novels

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

Greener planes of the future... or just pretty plans?

A greener future for the aviation industry?

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51751984

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

A “no math” (but seven-part) guide to modern quantum mechanics

Welcome to "The curious observer’s guide to quantum mechanics"...

My goal in this seven(!)-part series is to introduce the strangely beautiful effects of quantum mechanics and explain how they’ve come to influence our everyday world.

... So put on your mental hiking boots, grab your binoculars, and follow me as we set out to explore the quantum world.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/the-curious-observers-guide-to-quantum-mechanics/

koolishman · Jan 11, 2021

Cancer Cells Can Go Into Bear-Like Hibernation to Evade Chemotherapy

Cancer cells are able to hibernate like "bears in winter" when a threat like chemotherapy treatment attacks them, according to new research – apparently adopting the tactic used by some animals (though long since lost in humans) to survive through periods when resources are scarce.

Preclinical research on human colorectal cancer cells revealed that they were able to slow down into a low-maintenance, "drug-tolerant persister" (DTP) state, which would help explain some failures in therapy and tumour relapses.

"The tumour is acting like a whole organism, able to go into a slow-dividing state, conserving energy to help it survive," says researcher and surgeon Catherine O'Brien, from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Canada.

"There are examples of animals entering into a reversible and slow-dividing state to withstand harsh environments. It appears that cancer cells have craftily co-opted this same state for their survival benefit."

www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31535-X

koolishman · Jan 11, 2021

Spectacular Snowcapped Mountains Discovered on Pluto Are Very Different to Those on Earth

In 2015, the New Horizons space probe discovered spectacular snowcapped mountains on Pluto, which are strikingly similar to mountains on Earth. Such a landscape had never before been observed elsewhere in the Solar System.

However, as atmospheric temperatures on our planet decrease at altitude, on Pluto they heat up at altitude as a result of solar radiation. So where does this ice come from?

An international team led by CNRS scientists* conducted this exploration. They first determined that the “snow” on Pluto’s mountains actually consists of frozen methane, with traces of this gas being present in Pluto’s atmosphere, just like water vapor on Earth.

Then, to understand how the same landscape could be produced in such different conditions, they used a climate model for the dwarf planet, which revealed that due to its particular dynamics, Pluto’s atmosphere is rich in gaseous methane at altitudes.

As a result, it is only at the peaks of mountains high enough to reach this enriched zone that the air contains enough methane for it to condense. At lower altitudes the air is too low in methane for ice to form.

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

We Wouldn’t Be Able to Control Superintelligent Machines

We are fascinated by machines that can control cars, compose symphonies, or defeat people at chess, Go, or Jeopardy! While more progress is being made all the time in Artificial Intelligence (AI), some scientists and philosophers warn of the dangers of an uncontrollable superintelligent AI. Using theoretical calculations, an international team of researchers, including scientists from the Center for Humans and Machines at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, shows that it would not be possible to control a superintelligent AI.

https://www.miragenews.com/we-wouldn-t-be-able-to-control-superintelligent-machines/

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

Galaxy mergers could limit star formation

Astronomers have looked nine billion years into the past to find evidence that galaxy mergers in the early universe could shut down star formation and affect galaxy growth.

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-galaxy-mergers-limit-star-formation.html

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

Inspired by kombucha tea, engineers create 'living materials'

Engineers at MIT and Imperial College London have developed a new way to generate tough, functional materials using a mixture of bacteria and yeast similar to the "kombucha mother" used to ferment tea.

Using this mixture, also called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), the researchers were able to produce cellulose embedded with enzymes that can perform a variety of functions, such as sensing environmental pollutants. They also showed that they could incorporate yeast directly into the material, creating "living materials" that could be used to purify water or to make "smart" packaging materials that can detect damage.

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-kombucha-tea-materials.html

CraigD · Jan 11, 2021

Researchers develop new one-step process for creating self-assembled metamaterials

A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers has discovered a groundbreaking one-step process for creating materials with unique properties, called metamaterials. Their results show the realistic possibility of designing similar self-assembled structures with the potential of creating "built-to-order" nanostructures for wide application in electronics and optical devices.

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-one-step-self-assembled-metamaterials.html

koolishman · Jan 12, 2021

Juno spacecraft discovers FM radio signal coming from Jupiter moon

The Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter has discovered an FM radio signal coming from the moon Ganymede, a finding that marks a first-time detection from the moon, according to KTLA sister station KTVX in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It’s not E.T.,” said Patrick Wiggins, one of NASA’s Ambassadors to Utah. “It’s more of a natural function.”

Juno was traveling across the polar region of Jupiter — where magnetic field lines connect to Ganymede — when it crossed the radio source. Scientifically, it is called a “decametric radio emission.”

Here on Earth, we know it as Wi-Fi, and we use it every day.

koolishman · Jan 12, 2021

Using light to revolutionize artificial intelligence

An international team of researchers, including Professor Roberto Morandotti of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), just introduced a new photonic processor that could revolutionize artificial intelligence, as reported by the journal Nature.

This device performs a type of matrix-vector multiplication known as a convolution for image-processing applications. It shows promising results for real-time massive-data machine learning tasks, such as identifying faces in cameras or pathology identification in clinical scanning applications. Their approach is scalable and trainable to much more complex networks for demanding applications such as unmanned vehicles and real-time video recognition, allowing, in a not-so-far future, a full integration with the up-and-coming Internet of Things.

CraigD · Jan 12, 2021

Discovery of quantum behavior in insulators suggests possible new particle

In a surprising discovery, Princeton physicists have observed an unexpected quantum behavior in an insulator made from a material called tungsten ditelluride. This phenomenon, known as quantum oscillation, is typically observed in metals rather than insulators, and its discovery offers new insights into our understanding of the quantum world. The findings also hint at the existence of an entirely new type of quantum particle.

The discovery challenges a long-held distinction between metals and insulators, because in the established quantum theory of materials, insulators were not thought to be able to experience quantum oscillations.

https://www.miragenews.com/discover...in-insulators-suggests-possible-new-particle/

CraigD · Jan 12, 2021

Rolls-Royce and UK Space Agency launch first ever study into nuclear-powered space exploration

This new research contract will see planetary scientists work together to explore the game-changing potential of nuclear power as a more plentiful source of energy, capable of making possible deeper space exploration in the decades to come.

Nuclear propulsion, which would involve channelling the immense energy released in splitting the atom to accelerate propellants, like hydrogen, at huge speeds, has the potential to revolutionise space travel.
By some estimates, this kind of engine could be twice as efficient as the chemical engines that power our rockets today. Spacecraft powered by this kind of engine could, conceivably, make it to Mars in just 3 to 4 months – roughly half the time of the fastest possible trip in a spacecraft using the current chemical propulsion.

https://www.miragenews.com/rolls-ro...study-into-nuclear-powered-space-exploration/

koolishman · Jan 12, 2021

Researchers Paint the Mind of a Worm Using Fluorescent Technique

The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons, or nerve cells, woven together by an estimated 100 trillion connections, or synapses. Each cell has a role that helps us to move muscles, process our environment, form memories, and much more.

Given the huge number of neurons and connections, there is still much we don't know about how neurons work together to give rise to thought or behavior.

Now Columbia scientists have engineered a coloring technique, known as NeuroPAL (a Neuronal Polychromatic Atlas of Landmarks), which makes it possible--at least in experiments with Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a worm species commonly used in biological research--to identify every single neuron in the mind of a worm.

"Being able to identify neurons, or other types of cells, using color can help scientists visually understand the role of each part of a biological system," Yemini said. "That means when something goes wrong with the system, it may help pinpoint where the breakdown occurred."

koolishman · Jan 12, 2021

IBM Leads in Quantum Computing, Ford in Driverless Car Patents

Artificial intelligence, quantum computers and autonomous vehicles are among the fastest-growing areas of technology, with American companies often in the lead, according to a new study of U.S. patents issued over the past five years.

International Business Machines Corp. received the most patents in machine learning and quantum computers, while Ford Motor Co. is the most active in areas of vehicle navigation and control systems, according to the analysis by Fairview Research’s IFI Claims Patent Services.

Of the top-10 fastest growing fields, IBM also was No. 1 in areas of quantum computers, machine learning and computer systems using neural networks that imitate how the human brain works. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp. also ranked in the top five of those three areas.

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