discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

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!

 

[Cannuck]

The farthest galaxy in the universe

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-farthest-galaxy-universe.html

"From previous studies, the galaxy GN-z11 seems to be the farthest detectable galaxy from us, at 13.4 billion light years, or 134 nonillion kilometers (that's 134 followed by 30 zeros),"

Nonillion, that's the biggest number I've ever seen!! (or heard of)

 

[koolishman]

Meet Au-Spot, the AI robot dog that's training to explore caves on Mars

Scientists are equipping four-legged, animal-mimicking robots with artificial intelligence (AI) and an array of sensing equipment to help the bots autonomously navigate treacherous terrain and subsurface caves on the Red Planet.

In a presentation on Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), held online this year, researchers with NASA/JPL-Caltech introduced their "Mars Dogs," which can maneuver in ways the iconic wheeled rovers such as Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and the recently launched Perseverance never could. The new robots' agility and resilience are coupled with sensors that allow them to avoid obstacles, choose between multiple paths and build virtual maps of buried tunnels and caverns for operators at home base, scientists said at AGU.

 

[CraigD]

US cybersecurity agency warns of 'grave threat' after 'critical infrastructure' hacked

Nukes safe but personal info may have been exposed.

US authorities have expressed increased alarm about a long-undetected intrusion into computer systems around the world that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation's cybersecurity agency has warned of a "grave" risk to government and private networks, after federal agencies and "critical infrastructure" were hacked in a sophisticated attack.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/hack-against-us-is-grave-threat-cybersecurity-agency-solar-wind/12997062

Seriously concerning that this has only just now been discovered and disclosed.

 

[CraigD]

"From previous studies, the galaxy GN-z11 seems to be the farthest detectable galaxy from us, at 13.4 billion light years, or 134 nonillion kilometers (that's 134 followed by 30 zeros),"

Nonillion, that's the biggest number I've ever seen!! (or heard of)

First time I have ever encountered it also.

Googol derivatives have bigger numbers though it's all academic when we cannot appreciate the sizes.

A Googol is a 1 followed by 100 zeroes.
A Googolplex is a 1 followed by Googol zeroes.

Graham's number is on another level altogether, and hurts my brain.
The observable universe is far too small to contain an ordinary digital representation of Graham's number, assuming that each digit occupies one Planck volume, possibly the smallest measurable space

 

[koolishman]

Fermilab and Partners Achieve Sustained, High-Fidelity Quantum Teleportation

A viable quantum internet — a network in which information stored in qubits is shared over long distances through entanglement — would transform the fields of data storage, precision sensing and computing, ushering in a new era of communication.

This month, scientists at Fermilab, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory, and their partners took a significant step in the direction of realizing a quantum internet.

In a paper published in PRX Quantum, the team presents for the first time a demonstration of a sustained, long-distance (44 kilometers of fiber) teleportation of qubits of photons (quanta of light) with fidelity greater than 90%. The qubits were teleported over a fiber-optic network using state-of-the-art single-photon detectors and off-the-shelf equipment.

 

[CraigD]

Fermilab and Partners Achieve Sustained, High-Fidelity Quantum Teleportation

A viable quantum internet — a network in which information stored in qubits is shared over long distances through entanglement — would transform the fields of data storage, precision sensing and computing, ushering in a new era of communication.

This month, scientists at Fermilab, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory, and their partners took a significant step in the direction of realizing a quantum internet.

In a paper published in PRX Quantum, the team presents for the first time a demonstration of a sustained, long-distance (44 kilometers of fiber) teleportation of qubits of photons (quanta of light) with fidelity greater than 90%. The qubits were teleported over a fiber-optic network using state-of-the-art single-photon detectors and off-the-shelf equipment.

Great breakthrough, although I'm a bit confused about the use of the word teleport when they have used an optical cable to send the data.

Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.

 

[koolishman]

Great breakthrough, although I'm a bit confused about the use of the word teleport when they have used an optical cable to send the data.

Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.

Quantum teleportation does not involve the actual transfer of matter. Rather, quantum particles are entangled (dependent on each other, even over long distances) and somehow know the property of their other half. From our explainer earlier this year:

In a way, entangled particles behave as if they are aware of how the other particle is behaving. Quantum particles, at any point, are in a quantum state of probabilities, where properties like position, momentum, and spin of the particle are not precisely determined until there is some measurement. For entangled particles, the quantum state of each depends on the quantum state of the other; if one particle is measured and changes state, for example, the other particle’s state will change accordingly.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93w...sustained-long-distance-quantum-teleportation
Researchers Have Achieved Sustained Long-Distance Quantum Teleportation

 

[CraigD]

Quantum teleportation does not involve the actual transfer of matter. Rather, quantum particles are entangled (dependent on each other, even over long distances) and somehow know the property of their other half. From our explainer earlier this year:

In a way, entangled particles behave as if they are aware of how the other particle is behaving. Quantum particles, at any point, are in a quantum state of probabilities, where properties like position, momentum, and spin of the particle are not precisely determined until there is some measurement. For entangled particles, the quantum state of each depends on the quantum state of the other; if one particle is measured and changes state, for example, the other particle’s state will change accordingly.

Researchers Have Achieved Sustained Long-Distance Quantum Teleportation

@koolishman - thanks for the refresher on spooky action at a distance

... but I'm still confused as to what the fiber-optic network is used for:

"The qubits were teleported over a fiber-optic network using state-of-the-art single-photon detectors and off-the-shelf equipment."

 

[koolishman]

Good question @CraigD

Your original question made me look up details, and found you are not actually teleporting particles but only the state of the particle.

Hope someone answers here as to why a medium is used in this case?

 

[CraigD]

Here's The Safest Hideout in a Zombie Apocalypse, According to Research

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it's imperative that you have a plan. If you're influenced by the movies, then you might be inclined to take your chances and head for the nearest pub or shopping mall in order to outwit a growing horde of bloodthirsty zombies.

Even with optimal hideouts, however, the outlook for Americans is pretty bad, should a zombie plague actually materialise.

"We... discover that for 'realistic' parameters, we are largely doomed," the authors concluded in their paper's abstract.

https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-the-safest-hideout-in-a-zombie-apocalypse-according-to-research

This tongue-in-cheek study was originally published in 2015, but if the Zombie Apocalypse occurred in America today, It's a fair bet that a percentage of the population would be out protesting or trying to get bitten in the belief that it provides herd-immunity

 

[koolishman]

Here's The Safest Hideout in a Zombie Apocalypse, According to Research

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it's imperative that you have a plan. If you're influenced by the movies, then you might be inclined to take your chances and head for the nearest pub or shopping mall in order to outwit a growing horde of bloodthirsty zombies.

Even with optimal hideouts, however, the outlook for Americans is pretty bad, should a zombie plague actually materialise.

"We... discover that for 'realistic' parameters, we are largely doomed," the authors concluded in their paper's abstract.

https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-the-safest-hideout-in-a-zombie-apocalypse-according-to-research

This tongue-in-cheek study was originally published in 2015, but if the Zombie Apocalypse occurred in America today, It's a fair bet that a percentage of the population would be out protesting or trying to get bitten in the belief that it provides herd-immunity

That study is still better than the nuclear attack preparation.

Also @CraigD you owe me a new keyboard now for I almost spat out water, reading that last sentence.

 

[CraigD]

That study is still better than the nuclear attack preparation.

Also @CraigD you owe me a new keyboard now for I almost spat out water, reading that last sentence.

You might need to fight John for it...

 

[CraigD]

As heavenly bodies converge, many ask: Is the Star of Bethlehem making a comeback?

On Dec. 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will cross paths in the night’s sky and for a brief moment, they will appear to shine together as one body... it will occur on the winter solstice, just before the Christmas holiday. The timing has led to a speculation whether this could be the same astronomical event that the Bible reports led the wise men to Joseph, Mary and the newly born Jesus – the Star of Bethlehem.

https://theconversation.com/as-heav...he-star-of-bethlehem-making-a-comeback-152067

 

[CraigD]

“Found” –Primordial Filaments from Big Bang Hiding Half the Missing Matter of the Universe

A gas filament with a length of 50 million light years –unfathomably large thread-like structures of hot gas that surround and connect galaxies and galaxy clusters–has been observed by astronomers at the University of Bonn for the first time Its structure is uncannily similar to the predictions of recent computer simulations.

https://dailygalaxy.com/2020/12/fou...ding-half-the-missing-matter-of-the-universe/

 

[CraigD]

China roadmaps ambitious space projects, starting with 11 launches in next two years.

Space station building focus on next two years’ schedule

Closely following the complete success of Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission on Thursday, China's National Space Administration (CNSA) disclosed plans for a slew of ambitious space projects that include a new three-step plan for the country's future moon and deeper space exploration missions, which Wu Yanhua, the CNSA deputy head, referred to as "surveying, constructing, and exploiting," as opposed to the already conquered goals of "orbiting, landing and returning."

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1210341.shtml

 

[CraigD]

What if Dark Matter Doesn’t Exist? Unique Prediction of “Modified Gravity” Challenges Dark Matter Hypothesis

An international group of scientists, including Case Western Reserve University Astronomy Chair Stacy McGaugh, has published research contending that a rival idea to the popular dark matter hypothesis more accurately predicts a galactic phenomenon that appears to defy the classic rules of gravity.

https://scitechdaily.com/what-if-da...ed-gravity-challenges-dark-matter-hypothesis/

 

[Sutruk]

What if Dark Matter Doesn’t Exist? Unique Prediction of “Modified Gravity” Challenges Dark Matter Hypothesis

An international group of scientists, including Case Western Reserve University Astronomy Chair Stacy McGaugh, has published research contending that a rival idea to the popular dark matter hypothesis more accurately predicts a galactic phenomenon that appears to defy the classic rules of gravity.

https://scitechdaily.com/what-if-da...ed-gravity-challenges-dark-matter-hypothesis/

Thanks for the article! First time I hear about MOND, so it was interesting to read about it.
But after reading a bit about MOND, I think Dark Matter still explains better "why galaxies do not appear to obey the currently understood laws of physics."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_Newtonian_dynamics#Overview

"...mapped in detail the rotation velocities of stars in a large sample of spirals. While Newton's Laws predict that stellar rotation velocities should decrease with distance from the galactic centre, Rubin and collaborators found instead that they remain almost constant[9] – the rotation curves are said to be "flat". This observation necessitates at least one of the following:
(1) There exists in galaxies large quantities of unseen matter which boosts the stars' velocities beyond what would be expected on the basis of the visible mass alone, or
(2) Newton's Laws do not apply to galaxies.

Option (1) leads to the dark matter hypothesis; option (2) leads to MOND"

 

[CraigD]

This week we found half of the 'missing' matter in the universe tied up in long primordial filaments of gas, but we also 'lost' a super-massive black hole. We still have a long way to go before we fully understand the laws and dynamics of our universe.

Somehow, a Monstrous Supermassive Black Hole Has Gone Missing

The Universe is full of galaxy clusters, but Abell 2261 is in a class of its own. In the galaxy in the centre of the cluster, where there should be one of the biggest supermassive black holes in the Universe, astronomers have been able to find no trace of such an object.

https://www.sciencealert.com/somehow-a-colossal-supermassive-black-hole-is-missing-in-action

 

[CraigD]

Good question @CraigD

Your original question made me look up details, and found you are not actually teleporting particles but only the state of the particle.

Hope someone answers here as to why a medium is used in this case?

I've read a few reports today on various sites regarding this latest experiment, but unfortunately none of them offer an explanation. It would appear that the initial press release has simply been reworded by various editors with little understanding of the paradox in what they are actually reporting.

My uneducated guess given the available information is that one of the paired qubits/ photons is transported to another location through a medium (in this case the fiber-optic cable) and then the so called 'teleportation' of the state of the qubit is carried out.

 

[CraigD]

Thanks for the article! First time I hear about MOND, so it was interesting to read about it.
But after reading a bit about MOND, I think Dark Matter still explains better "why galaxies do not appear to obey the currently understood laws of physics."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_Newtonian_dynamics#Overview

"...mapped in detail the rotation velocities of stars in a large sample of spirals. While Newton's Laws predict that stellar rotation velocities should decrease with distance from the galactic centre, Rubin and collaborators found instead that they remain almost constant[9] – the rotation curves are said to be "flat". This observation necessitates at least one of the following:
(1) There exists in galaxies large quantities of unseen matter which boosts the stars' velocities beyond what would be expected on the basis of the visible mass alone, or
(2) Newton's Laws do not apply to galaxies.

Option (1) leads to the dark matter hypothesis; option (2) leads to MOND"

I've been trying to wrap my head around this article and the information that you have kindly posted above.

I think that both the options you have mentioned are valid:

(1) We could not make our calculations match observation so dark matter theory was introduced to make the math work, and I've always been a bit sceptical about that. I think that there probably is a large amount of ordinary matter unaccounted for in galaxies. It appears that we have just found half of the universes 'missing matter' in primordial gas filaments, which leads me to think that the other half is likely hiding in plain sight and tied up in galaxies but for whatever reason we have miscalculated it.

(2) My understanding is that Newtonian physics are now considered rough estimates, whereas Einstein's theory of general relativity has been proven to be more accurate. We treat gravity with either Newtonian laws or Einsteins GR, but we still don't even understand what gravity actually is. Perhaps gravity also works at the quantum scale and we need to develop new theories for it?

 

[Sutruk]

I've been trying to wrap my head around this article and the information that you have kindly posted above.

I think that both the options you have mentioned are valid:

(1) We could not make our calculations match observation so dark matter theory was introduced to make the math work, and I've always been a bit sceptical about that. I think that there probably is a large amount of ordinary matter unaccounted for in galaxies. It appears that we have just found half of the universes 'missing matter' in primordial gas filaments, which leads me to think that the other half is likely hiding in plain sight and tied up in galaxies but for whatever reason we have miscalculated it.

(2) My understanding is that Newtonian physics are now considered rough estimates, whereas Einstein's theory of general relativity has been proven to be more accurate. We treat gravity with either Newtonian laws or Einsteins GR, but we still don't even understand what gravity actually is. Perhaps gravity also works at the quantum scale and we need to develop new theories for it?

Yes, they are "valid" the two. And I say "valid" in quotations because they are just theories to explain "why galaxies do not appear to obey the currently understood laws of physics."
I just said that in my view, I see the Dark Matter theory explaining it better, what happens there with galaxies not following the understood laws of physics. But anyway, the other theory could be also a valid one, in theory.

I think that when they talk about Newtonian laws they just refer to the gravity laws, but of course they could refer also to the Einstein GR. Laws that galaxies don't follow on their spiral movement.
Stars on the outermost space from the Galaxy Black Hole center, move as fast as more interior Stars near the galaxy center. They don't follow Einstein laws, like for example, happens on our Solar System, where outermost planets from the Sun, like Neptune or Pluto, clearly moves at a way lower speed than planets nearest the Sun, like Mercury or Venus.

 

[CraigD]

Pharma Looks to Outer Space to Boost Drug R&D

There are benefits of studying certain biological processes under microgravity, but whether those advantages outweigh the costs of getting experiments off Earth remains to be seen.

https://www.the-scientist.com/bio-business/pharma-looks-to-outer-space-to-boost-drug-rd--68183

 

[CraigD]

Yes, they are "valid" the two. And I say "valid" in quotations because they are just theories to explain "why galaxies do not appear to obey the currently understood laws of physics."
I just said that in my view, I see the Dark Matter theory explaining it better, what happens there with galaxies not following the understood laws of physics. But anyway, the other theory could be also a valid one, in theory.

I think that when they talk about Newtonian laws they just refer to the gravity laws, but of course they could refer also to the Einstein GR. Laws that galaxies doesn't follow on their spiral movement.
Stars on the outermost space from the Galaxy Black Hole center, move as fast as more interior Stars near the galaxy center. They don't follow Einstein laws, like for example, happens on our Solar System, where outermost planets from the Sun, like Neptune or Pluto, clearly moves at a way lower speed than planets nearest the Sun, like Mercury or Venus.

Yes, according to Kepler's Third Law, the speed goes inversely with the square root of the distance from the sun.
http://ircamera.as.arizona.edu/NatSci102/NatSci/text/planetspeed.htm
There's a nice graph at the base of the page plotting the planets aligning with the curve of the formula.

Newton developed a more general form of Kepler's Third Law that could apply to any two objects orbiting a common center of mass, called Newton's Version of Kepler's Third Law: M1 + M2 = A3 / P2
https://www.austincc.edu/jheath/Stellar/Hand/NVK3L/nvk3l.htm

For anyone interested, here's a Wiki link about galaxy rotation (Galaxy Rotation Curve) and the discrepancy between observation and calculation that resulted in the introduction of Dark Matter theory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_rotation_curve

Edited

 

[CraigD]

Lose Yourself in 50 Breathtaking New Images Released For The Hubble Anniversary

In April of 1990, our Universe opened up to us in a whole new way.

That's when the Hubble Space Telescope was launched and deployed, the most powerful space telescope ever created. Although the instrument got off to a bumpy start, Hubble has, as of April this year, been in operation for a full three decades. And, in celebration of this marvellous milestone, NASA has just handed us space riches: 50 newly processed images of objects from the Caldwell catalogue, released to the public for the first time.

https://www.sciencealert.com/hubble-has-released-30-new-gorgeous-images-to-celebrate-30-years

See also:
Caldwell collection - https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-caldwell-catalog
Messier catalog - https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog

 

[CraigD]

Social Fragmentation Resembles The Melting of Ice - And We May Be Near Tipping Point

...society is at risk of approaching a tipping point of social bonds, potentially thanks to the rise of smart phones and social media.

https://www.sciencealert.com/social...l-tipping-point-resembling-the-melting-of-ice