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Tiny cosmic particles can have serious impacts on Earth, causing election votes to be miscounted, planes to free-fall and computers to reboot, scientists say.These cosmic particles can hit electronic devices on Earth, which can cause components to burn out and cause malfunctions. Cosmic particles come from cosmic rays from outside our solar system. They crash into the Earth's atmosphere creating a range of particles, including protons, electrons, X-rays and gamma-rays that can penetrate aircraft.These cosmic particles constantly hit Earth, and can cause bits of information in electronics to change.

In our Universe, all stable atomic nuclei have protons in them; there's no stable "neutronium" at all. But what's the reason why? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In theory, any type of baryon, or entity made of three quarks, can bind together to any other type of baryon. However, while protons-and-neutrons can bind together to form stable bound states (like atomic nuclei), neutrons-and-neutrons and protons-and-protons do not. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KEY TAKEAWAYS Here in our Universe, all atomic nuclei, stable and unstable, are made up of protons and neutrons, with light nuclei often having equal amounts of both and heavier nuclei having more neutrons than protons....

If you live in and around Gulkana, Alaska and recently saw some eerie lights in the sky—don’t worry; they were all part of a science experiment. Earlier this week, researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and several other US institutions created artificial auroras by sending radio pulses into the Earth’s ionosphere using HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) transmitters on the ground. The frequencies of these transmissions were between 2.8 and 10 megahertz. >>> If you noticed a faint red or green splotch in the sky above Alaska between November 4 and November 8, chances are good that...

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has improved its detection of cosmic events by overcoming quantum noise through advanced “squeezing” technology. This breakthrough will increase its detection rate by 60 percent and pave the way for advancements in quantum technology and physics. Researchers using LIGO achieved a landmark in quantum squeezing. In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, made history when it made the first direct detection of gravitational waves, or ripples in space and time, produced by a pair of colliding black holes. Since then, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded LIGO and its sister detector in...

This image shows the orientation of the magnetic field in the distant 9io9 galaxy, seen here when the Universe was only 20% of its current age — the furthest ever detection of a galaxy’s magnetic field. Dust grains within 9io9 are somewhat aligned with the galaxy’s magnetic field, and due to this, they emit polarized light, meaning that light waves oscillate along a preferred direction rather than randomly. ALMA detected this polarization signal, from which astronomers could work out the orientation of the magnetic field, shown here as curved lines overlaid on the ALMA image. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/J. Geach et...

In this week's science news, I talk about a new candidate for a cosmic string, the mysterious shrinking of planet Mercury, a nuclear clock, the first quantum engine, a simulator for human diseases, whether we can find new physics with spinning black holes, AI that wants to help find aliens, how to compute with photons, and of course, the telephone will ring.Could this be the first evidence for string theory? | 18:21Sabine Hossenfelder | 1.03M subscribers | 310,893 views | October 10, 2023

In the European Physical Journal Plus, Rafelski and two colleagues mathematically demonstrated that the existence of CUDOs (compact ultra dense objects) do not have dark matter, but are filled with unknown classes of chemical elements beyond the periodic table that are much denser than osmium.

Explanation: This dance is to the death. As these two large galaxies duel, a cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust currently stretches over 75,000 light-years and joins them. The bridge itself is strong evidence that these two immense star systems have passed close to each other and experienced violent tides induced by mutual gravity. As further evidence, the face-on spiral galaxy on the right, also known as NGC 3808A, exhibits many young blue star clusters produced in a burst of star formation. The twisted edge-on spiral on the left (NGC 3808B) seems to be wrapped in the material bridging...

Dreams of a world powered by antigravity got quashed by a particle physics today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It turns out that Einstein was right yet again. A recent experiment just proved that antigravity doesn’t exist and we probably won’t ever get to use antimatter to levitate or build a perpetual motion machine or power warp drives (sorry, Star Trek). Antimatter itself is very real. Made of particles that mostly behave like regular matter, but their electrical charges are reversed, an anti-proton looks just like a proton but has a negative charge, while an anti-electron (or positron) looks and moves just like an...

Illustration of how a failed supernova can become a black hole. (P. Jeffries/STScI/NASA/ESA) In 2009 a giant star 25 times more massive than the Sun simply…vanished. Okay, it wasn't quite that simple. It underwent a period of brightening, increasing in luminosity to a million Suns, just as if it was ready to explode into a supernova. But then it faded rather than exploding. And when astronomers tried to see the star, using the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), Hubble, and the Spitzer space telescope, they couldn't see anything. The star, known as N6946-BH1, is now considered a failed supernova. The BH1...

Researchers have pioneered a technique for swiftly and efficiently reconstructing the full quantum state of entangled particles, utilizing advanced camera technology to visualize the wave function of two entangled photons in real time. The innovative method is exponentially faster than previous ones, taking minutes or seconds instead of days, and holds the potential for advancing quantum technology by enhancing quantum state characterization, quantum communication, and quantum imaging techniques. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new technique based on advanced camera technology demonstrates a rapid and efficient way to reconstruct the full quantum state of entangled particles. Researchers from the University of Ottawa, working together...

Strange loops in the fabric of reality have finally been witnessed forming in a super cold gas, providing physicists with an opportunity to study the behaviors of a rather peculiar kind of one-sided magnetism.Known as 'Alice rings' after the Alice of 'Wonderland' fame, the circular structures were observed by a collaboration between researchers in the US and Finland which already has a long list of discoveries concerning the distortions in quantum fields known as topological monopoles.The isolated equivalent of a pole on a magnet, monopoles truly sound like something Alice would have seen in her hunt for the white rabbit....

Scientists at Cornell discovered a new quantum matter state in Uranium Ditelluride, which could revolutionize quantum computing and spintronics by forming the materials platform for ultra-stable quantum computers and revealing new avenues for identifying such states in various materials. Researchers from Cornell University have identified a new state of matter in candidate topological superconductors, a discovery that may have far-reaching implications for both condensed matter physics and the fields of quantum computing and spintronics. Researchers at the Macroscopic Quantum Matter Group at Cornell have discovered and visualized a crystalline yet superconducting state in a new and unusual superconductor, Uranium Ditelluride...

An institution has offered a $1 million prize to anyone who can solve a famous math problem that has puzzled mathematicians for more than a century. The Riemann hypothesis, first proposed by German mathematician Bernhard Riemann in 1859, is considered to be one of the hardest and most important unsolved problems of pure mathematics — the study of thinking about maths, rather than applying it to the real world. The hypothesis is based on the Riemann zeta function, also attributed to Bernhard Riemann. It states: “The real part of every nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function is 1/2”. The...

Artist’s impression of GRB 211211A. Scientists have linked this unusual gamma-ray burst from a nearby galaxy to a neutron star merger. Credit: Soheb Mandhai @TheAstroPhoenix An unusually powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB 211211A), detected from a nearby galaxy, has been linked to a neutron star merger by an international team of scientists. This burst, notable for its excess of infrared light, was shown to originate from a kilonova, an event thought to occur when neutron stars collide. Scientists have linked a highly unusual blast of high-energy light from a nearby galaxy to a neutron star merger. The event, detected in December...

In a potentially landmark development in the world of superconductor research, scientists at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology have claimed to achieve the first successful replication of the superconducting material LK-99. The announcement came through a video shared five hours ago, that showcases a small flake of their sample reacting to an external magnetic field. This news has sent ripples through the scientific community and industries that stand to be transformed by breakthroughs in superconductivity. As Andrew Cote, a Stellarator Engineer known for his lucid explanations of complex physical phenomena on Twitter (@Andercot), often reminds his followers, room-temperature...

Researchers have developed a device that can disrupt the relationship between the absorption and emission efficiencies of an object, essentially violating Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation. This law, in place for over 150 years, states that an object’s ability to absorb and emit energy is equal at each wavelength and angle of incidence. This breakthrough could significantly impact sustainable energy harvesting systems and certain types of camouflage technology. (Artist’s concept.) ********************************************** Scientists have developed a device that can break the principles of Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation, disrupting the traditional relationship between absorption and emission efficiencies in an object. This...

Dismantling the belief in a static universe, Edwin Hubble's revolutionary observations in the 1920s laid the groundwork for our understanding of a continually expanding cosmos. However, we must seek to reconcile this theory with observations that are consistent with a non-expanding universe, writes Tim Anderson. You have been taught that the universe began with a Big Bang, a hot, dense period about 13.8 billion years ago. And the reason we believe this to be true is because the universe is expanding and, therefore, was smaller in the past. The Cosmic Microwave Background is the smoking gun for the Big Bang,...

A team of researchers claims to have created the first materials that conduct electricity perfectly at room temperature and ambient pressure, but many physicists are highly sceptical. Speaking to New Scientist, Hyun-Tak Kim at the College of William & Mary in Virginia says he will support anyone trying to replicate his team’s work. Superconductors are materials through which electricity can move without encountering any resistance, and so would significantly cut down the energy costs of electronics. But for over a century, researchers have been unable to make them work except under extreme conditions like very low temperatures and remarkably high...

If you've been following my channel for a really long time, you might remember that some years ago I made a video about whether faster-than-light travel is possible. I was trying to explain why the arguments saying it's impossible are inconclusive and we shouldn't throw out the possibility too quickly, but I'm afraid I didn't make my case very well. This video is a second attempt. Hopefully this time it'll come across more clearly!I Think Faster Than Light Travel is Possible. Here's Why. | 23:46Sabine Hossenfelder | 943K subscribers | 1,569,919 views | April 8, 2023