With its particles in two places at once, quantum theory strains our common sense notions of how the universe should work. But one group of physicists says we can get reality back if we just redefine its foundations.
In a continuous pursuit to understand the fundamental laws that govern the universe, researchers have ventured deep into the realms of string theory, loop quantum gravity, and quantum geometry. These advanced theoretical frameworks have revealed an especially compelling concept: the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP).
What processes provide energy to the solar wind as it travels away from the Sun and throughout the solar system? This is what a recent study published in Science hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated the processes responsible for providing energy to the solar wind as it leaves the Sun and traverses the rest of the solar system. This study holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the Sun’s processes, which could also provide insight into the processes of other stars, as well.
“Our study addresses a huge open question about how the solar wind is energized and helps us understand how the Sun affects its environment and, ultimately, the Earth,” said Dr. Yeimy Rivera, who is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and lead author of the study. “If this process happens in our local star, it’s highly likely that this powers winds from other stars across the Milky Way galaxy and beyond and could have implications for the habitability of exoplanets.”
For the study, the researchers used solar wind data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and the joint NASA-ESA Solar Orbiter collected within two days of each other due to the spacecraft being aligned with each other, enabling this research to be conducted. For context, the Parker Solar Probe is currently orbiting inside the Sun’s corona while Solar Orbiter is orbiting approximately halfway between the Earth and the Sun. In the end, the researchers found the solar wind’s acceleration that occurs between the Sun and the Earth is due to what are called “Alfvén waves”, which transport energy through the solar plasma. However, researchers haven’t been able to measure Alfvén waves until now.
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How did a giant impact 4 billion years ago affect Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede? This is what a recent study published in Scientific Reports hopes to address as a researcher from Kobe University investigated the geological changes known as a “furrow system” that Ganymede has exhibited since being struck by a giant asteroid in its ancient past, along with confirming previous hypotheses regarding the size of the asteroid. This study holds the potential to help scientists better understand how the very-active early solar system not only contributed to Ganymede’s but how such large impacts could have influenced the evolution of planetary bodies throughout the solar system.
“The Jupiter moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto all have interesting individual characteristics, but the one that caught my attention was these furrows on Ganymede,” said Dr. Naoyuki Hirata, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Planetology at Kobe University and sole author of the study. “We know that this feature was created by an asteroid impact about 4 billion years ago, but we were unsure how big this impact was and what effect it had on the moon.”
For the study, Dr. Hirata used a series of mathematical calculations to ascertain the size of the object that impacted Ganymede billions of years ago along with the angle of impact that produced the furrow system. In the end, Dr. Hirata determined that the impactor’s radius was approximately 93 miles (150 kilometers) and the angle of impact was potentially between 60 to 90 degrees, resulting in the furrows that overlay a significant portion Ganymede’s surface. For context, Ganymede is not only the largest moon in the solar system at a radius of 1,637 miles (2,634 kilometers), but it is also larger than the planet Mercury.
NASA’s goal of building a space plane might at last come true. Should one company succeed in its mission, spaceplanes might actually become a reality. Unlike multi-stage rockets, Radian’s model has the potential to be a less expensive means of space travel.
A company is bringing back to life a NASA concept from decades ago to construct a reusable space plane that could affordably transport humans and small payloads into space. NASA investigated building a space plane prototype known as the X-33 in the 1990s, but the project was shelved in 2001 due to technical problems. With Radian One, a space plane that can carry up to five astronauts at a time and is fully reusable up to 100 times, Seattle-based Radian Aerospace is currently attempting to complete what NASA started.
The company’s chief technology officer, Livingston Holder, oversaw NASA’s X-33 program and is in charge of the new endeavor. Holder told CNN that since 2001, enough has changed to make building a space plane a more feasible objective. They’ve got composite materials that are lighter, tougher, and can take a larger thermal range than they had back then. And propulsion is better than anything they had, in terms of how efficiently it burns propellant and how much the systems weigh. The business informed CNN that it intends to test a scale model this year and that it has raised nearly $28 million to build Radian One in 2022.
Organoid Intelligence is the fusion of stem cell-derived mini-organs and AI. It promises more human-like AI but also ethical questions.
Gain a deep understanding of the intricate interconnections within technological, economic, societal, biomedical, and environmental systems by earning a Master of Science degree in Complex Systems Science. https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degr…
Hey remember that time you waved at a stranger who was actually waving at someone behind you? The universe can, at least in its own way. If you thought gravitational waves were wild, just wait until you hear about this thing called gravitational memory.
The new AI system can estimate cosmological parameters with stunning precision, and it could help astronomers unpick one of the thorniest problems in the field.
