Astrophysicists at the University of Colorado’s JILA, National Institute of Science and Technology, have conducted an experiment to produce benzene the way theories have predicted it is produced in interstellar space and found it did not produce any benzene. The research by G. S. Kocheril, C. Zagorec-Marks and H. J. Lewandowski is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Research efforts in the 1990s led to theories suggesting that ion-molecule collisions could be one of the main ways that interstellar benzene forms. Such theories are important for space research because it is believed that benzene is a precursor to the formation of interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are believed to hold cosmic carbon, which is important for many reasons but mainly because of the role it might have played in the development of carbon-based lifeforms.
Testing of theories that lead to the creation of benzene in interstellar space has not been done before because of the difficulty in creating the conditions that exist in such an environment. In their paper, and during a speech at a recent symposium, the group stated that they had the equipment necessary to carry out such an experiment in their lab at JILA.
In 1994 Miguel Alcubierre was able to construct a valid solution to the equations of general relativity that enable a warp drive. But now we need to tackle the rest of relativity: How do we arrange matter and energy to make that particular configuration of spacetime possible?
Unfortunately for warp drives, that’s when we start running into trouble. In fact, right away, we run into three troubles. And these three troubles are called the energy conditions. Now, before I describe the energy conditions, I need to make a disclaimer. What I’m about to say are not iron laws of physics.
They are instead reasonable guesses as to how nature makes sense. General relativity is a machine. You put in various configurations of spacetime, various arrangements of matter and energy. You turn the handle and you learn how gravity works. General relativity on its own doesn’t tell you what’s real and what’s not.
Is there a hidden dimension beyond space and time, a cosmic shortcut that could let us defy the speed of light? From warp drives to wormholes, science fiction has long dreamed of hyperspace travel—but could it ever be real?
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Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a titanium-aluminum (Ti-Al)-based superelastic alloy. This new material is not only lightweight but also strong, offering the unique superelastic capability to function across a broad temperature range—from as low as −269°C, the temperature of liquid helium, to +127°C, which is above the boiling point of water.
Researchers say they are finally unraveling the effects of ultrafast lasers that can change material states in attoseconds —one-billionth of one-billionth of a second—the time required to complete one light wave’s optical cycle.
The new Israeli research opens up new avenues for scientists to observe light closely in laboratory settings. Under these conditions, a wave crosses a hydrogen atom in a single attosecond, compared to the time required for light to move from Earth to the Moon.
Beyond its immediate use, the development may drive future speed advancements in communications and computing by increasing researchers’ understanding of high-speed quantumlight and matter interactions.
Time travel has long fascinated scientists and theorists, prompting questions about whether the future can send visitors into its own past and whether individuals could move forward in time in ways that bypass the normal flows of daily life. The general idea of time as a fourth dimension, comparable to spatial dimensions, gained traction when Hermann Minkowski famously stated that “space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows” (Minkowski, 1908, p. 75). This integrated view of spacetime underlies many physics-based theories of how a traveler might move along the temporal axis.
In relativity, closed timelike curves (CTCs) theoretically allow a path through spacetime that loops back to its origin in time. As Kip Thorne put it, “wormhole physics is at the very forefront of our understanding of the Universe” (Thorne, 1994, pp. 496–497). A wormhole with suitable geometry might permit travel from one point in time to another. However, such scenarios raise paradoxes. One common example is the “grandfather paradox,” which asks how a traveler could exist if they venture into the past and eliminate their own ancestor. David Deutsch offered one possible resolution by suggesting that “quantum mechanics may remove or soften the paradoxes conventionally associated with time travel” (Deutsch, 1991, p. 3198). His reasoning rests on the idea that quantum behavior might allow timelines to branch or otherwise circumvent contradictions.
Researchers at TU Delft and Brown University have developed scalable nanotechnology-based lightsails that could support future advances in space exploration and experimental physics. Their research, published in Nature Communications, introduces new materials and production methods to create the thinnest large-scale reflectors ever made.
Lightsails are ultra-thin, reflective structures that use laser-driven radiation pressure to propel spacecraft at high speeds. Unlike conventional nanotechnology, which miniaturizes devices in all dimensions, lightsails follow a different approach. They are nanoscale in thickness—about 1/1000th the thickness of a human hair—but can extend to sheets with large dimensions.
Fabricating a lightsail as envisioned for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative would traditionally take 15 years, mainly because it is covered in billions of nanoscale holes. Using advanced techniques, the team, including first author and Ph.D. student Lucas Norder, has reduced this process to a single day.
This compares some of the ringworlds, centrifuges, space stations, and ships that use spin to make gravity. It also try’s to show how the variables of artificial gravity are used to make centripetal acceleration into spin gravity.
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ REFERENCES 1. Hill, Paul R.; Schnitzer, Emanuel (1962 September). “Rotating Manned Space Stations.” In, Astronautics (vol. 7, no. 9, p. 14 18). Reston, Virginia, USA: American Rocket Society / American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 2. Gilruth, Robert R. (1969). “Manned Space Stations – Gateway to our Future in Space.” In S. F. Singer (Ed.), Manned. Laboratories in Space (p. 1–10). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. 3. Gordon, Theodore J.; Gervais, Robert L. (1969). “Critical Engineering Problems of Space Stations.” In S. F. Singer (Ed.). Manned Laboratories in Space (p. 11–32). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. 4. Stone, Ralph W. (1973). “An Overview of Artificial Gravity.” In A. Graybiel (Ed.), Fifth Symposium on the Role of the. Vestibular Organs in Space Exploration (NASA SP-314, p. 23–33). Pensacola, Florida, USA, 19–21 August 1970. Washington, DC, USA: NASA 5. Cramer, D. Bryant (1985). “Physiological Considerations of Artificial Gravity.” In A. C. Cron (Ed.), Applications of Tethers in. Space (NASA CP-2364, vol. 1, p. 3·95–3·107). Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, 15–17 June 1983. Washington, DC, USA: NASA. 6. Graybiel, Ashton (1977). “Some Physiological Effects of Alternation Between Zero Gravity and One Gravity.” In J. Grey (Ed.). Space Manufacturing Facilities (Space Colonies): Proceedings of the Princeton / AIAA / NASA Conference, May 7–9, 1975 7. Hall, Theodore W. “Artificial Gravity in Theory and Practice.” International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016, www.artificial-gravity.com/ICES-2016–194.pdf.
The Odysseus spacecraft made a rough landing on the moon last year, toppling over and rendering much of its equipment unusable, but an onboard NASA radio telescope called ROLSES-1 was able to make some observations
