For the first time, physicists have observed that ‘holes’ in light can move faster than the light itself.
They’re known as phase singularities or optical vortices, and since the 1970s, scientists have predicted that, just as eddies in a river can move faster than the flowing water around them, so too can whirlpools in a wave of light outrun the light they’re embedded within.
This does not break relativity, which states that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. That’s because the vortices carry no mass, energy, or information, and their motion is based on the evolving geometry of the wave pattern rather than any physical motion through space.
How do you prove that in the unimaginably vast universe, certain objects don’t exist?
That’s a question that has plagued scientists studying gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime set off when two massive objects such as black holes swirl together and merge.
For decades, theorists have thought that, ironically, stars in a certain very heavy mass range simply cannot collapse to form black holes.
But gravitational wave astronomers had spotted no evidence of such a “mass gap”—until now.
Analysis of gravitational waves supports theory that some stars explode without leaving behind black holes.
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We’ve covered the Xeelee Sequence multiple times on this channel. In short, The Xeelee Sequence is a series of science fiction novels and short stories by Stephen Baxter that deal with humanity as they exist in a universe dominated by the powerful and enigmatic race of Aliens known as the Xeelee. The Xeelee were more akin to gods than lifeforms.
When humankind first entered into cosmic society, we were oppressed and enslaved by multiple alien races before we found our footing. The aquatic Squeem, the amorphous Qax. We overcame them, I go in depth into this in my Timelike Infinity video and also in my Ultimate Timeline of the Xeelee Sequence video. Over many thousand of years humankind grew to dominate the milkyway, none stood stronger than us aside from the Xeelee.
When that time came, humankind was contained, our colonies throughout the milky way removed, men had no knowledge of the war that had been raging for billions of years. The Photino Birds were beings of Dark Matter, they were born at the beginning of the universe and since the beginning they have raged against the Xeelee for the soul of the cosmos. The Photino birds were creatures that existed in a sector of reality we could barely perceive. While ordinary matter formed stars, planets, and life, dark matter formed something else entirely. Vast structures. Vast ecologies. And within that hidden universe, the Photino Birds were dominant.
Their war with the Xeelee was not fought with fleets or soldiers. It was fought with the fundamental laws of physics.
Researchers discovered that liquids can suddenly snap like solids when stretched hard enough. This unexpected behavior challenges basic physics and could lead to new technological applications.
Gold cannot form until certain unstable atomic nuclei break apart. Exactly how those nuclear transformations unfold has long been difficult to determine. Now, nuclear physicists at the University of Tennessee (UT) report three discoveries in a single study that clarify important parts of this process. Their findings could help researchers build improved models of the stellar events that create heavy elements and better predict the behavior of exotic atomic nuclei.
Heavy elements such as gold and platinum are forged under extraordinary conditions, including when stars collapse, explode, or collide. These events trigger the rapid neutron capture process (or r-process for short). During this process, an atomic nucleus absorbs neutrons in rapid succession. As the nucleus grows heavier and more unstable, it eventually breaks down into lighter and more stable forms.
Along this pathway across the nuclide chart, a common sequence involves beta decay of the parent nucleus followed by the release of two neutrons. The atomic nuclei involved in these reactions are extremely rare and unstable, making them difficult or even impossible to study directly in experiments. Because of this, scientists rely heavily on theoretical models, which must be tested and refined using laboratory data.
“with Brian Berzin — Co-Founder & CEO of Thea Energy.
What if we could build a fusion reactor that runs continuously—without the instability issues that have plagued the field for years?
Brian Berzin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Thea Energy (https://thea.energy/), a next-generation fusion company focused on advancing stellarator technology—one of the most promising but historically underexplored approaches to magnetic confinement fusion.
Brian brings a unique combination of deep technical and financial expertise, with a background spanning electrical engineering, venture capital, private equity, and investment banking.
Prior to founding Thea Energy, Brian served as Vice President of Strategy at General Fusion, where he helped shape commercialization strategy and led engagement with global capital markets during a pivotal period for privately funded fusion.
Heterogeneous catalysis—in which catalysts and reactants are of different phases, e.g., solid and gas—is important to many industrial processes and often involves solid metal as the catalyst. Ammonia synthesis, catalytic converters for automobile exhaust, methanol synthesis, carbon dioxide reduction, and hydrogen production are examples of such metal-catalyzed heterogeneous catalysis.
The electronic structure of metal surfaces governs the adsorption of reactants and intermediates, and thus the catalytic activity. For this reason, strain engineering —which tunes the electronic structure of a metal catalyst by stretching or compressing its crystal lattice—has emerged as an important strategy for enhancing catalytic performance. Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to quantify how metal strain influences adsorption energies and reaction barriers across different metal catalysts, thereby limiting the rational design of catalysts with desired properties.
To address this challenge, a research team from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a method to predict how strain modifies adsorption energies and reaction barriers across diverse metal systems. The study is published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
A pair of US researchers have developed a new model to tackle a deceptively simple problem: how a small block of ice melts while floating in calm water. Using an advanced experimental setup, Daisuke Noto and Hugo Ulloa at the University of Pennsylvania have captured the intricate dynamics that underlie this everyday process—work that could ultimately pave the way for more accurate predictions of melting sea ice. The study has been published in Science Advances.
If you place a block of ice in a glass of water, it will float at the surface and gradually melt. While this scenario seems simple at first glance, the dynamics involved are surprisingly complex: even if the surrounding water is completely still, the flow of heat from the warmer liquid into the colder ice generates motion that disrupts the system.
As the ice melts, it can begin drifting, spinning, or even flipping over. In turn, these motions alter the surrounding flow of water and heat, affecting the overall melting rate and making it remarkably difficult for physicists to predict how long the ice will last.
WASHINGTON — NASA modified operations of an astrophysics spacecraft in a decaying orbit to buy more time for a mission later this year that will attempt to raise its orbit.
Do you believe alien life could be completely unlike anything we’ve ever imagined? In this Science Documentary, we explore forms of life that may not need light, oxygen, or even a recognizable body—glowing through chemistry, drifting like gel in endless darkness, or existing as silent, stone-like structures. This Science Documentary follows the latest discoveries as telescopes probe distant worlds for signs of life. And closer to home, beneath thick ice, hidden oceans may already hold the first alien organisms humanity could reach. Join this Science Documentary as we challenge everything we think life should be. 1:04 The Nearest Life – Europa 4:30 Ocean Worlds – Life Without Light 8:30 Tidally Locked Worlds 12:41 Life in the Atmosphere – Creatures That Never Touch the Ground 15:23 Extreme Gravity – When the Shape of Life Is Rewritten by an Invisible Force 19:11 Non-Carbon Life – When Biology Moves Beyond Our Definition 23:04 The Fermi Paradox – If They Are Everywhere… Why Do We See No One? 26:37 Conclusion.
Welcome to WUFO, your space documentary channel dedicated to both education and entertainment. WUFO explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth.
Each video space documentary is crafted to inspire curiosity, bring scientific knowledge to life, and make learning about space exciting and enjoyable.
Whether you’re passionate about astronomy, planetary science, or simply love exploring the cosmos, WUFO channel offers engaging journeys that expand your mind and spark your imagination.
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