Tag Archives: form

Orcas and Dolphins Form ‘Friendship’ to Hunt Salmon Cooperatively

Posted on by
Reply

Dolphin approaches killer whale, captured by the killer whale’s camera

University of British Columbia (A.Trites), Dalhousie University (S. Fortune), Hakai Institute (K. Holmes), Leibniz Zoo and Wildlife Institute (X. Cheng)

Killer whales and dolphins collaborate to catch salmon in the North Pacific Ocean, revealing new insights into the intricate social dynamics of marine mammals.

Using video cameras and sensors attached to nine killer whales, researchers observed four of them diving alongside a large group of white-tailed dolphins towards Chinook salmon hiding in deep waters off northern Vancouver Island. An additional three whales were tracked via drone. The killer whales consumed the salmon, leaving behind scraps that the dolphins scavenged.

“They collaborated to locate food,” states Sarah Fortune from Dalhousie University, Canada. “One might anthropomorphize this scenario and suggest that they’re hunting friends.”

Chinook salmon, or king salmon, can exceed a meter in length, making them often too large for dolphins to consume.

However, the whales off northern Vancouver Island are known for their hearty appetites, frequently tearing fish apart to share with their pod, which leaves behind blood, scales, and remnants for dolphins to eat. Researchers propose that dolphins assist whales in locating salmon.

In the video, six out of twelve whales directed their attention toward the dolphins, totaling 102 interactions. The four whales dove with the dolphins to depths of 60 meters, where it becomes dark and salmon can conceal themselves among rocks and crevices.

Though both species emitted clicking and buzzing sounds, data from the sensors indicated that the whales often reduced their echolocation activity, likely to “eavesdrop” on the dolphins. Since echolocation operates like a focused spotlight, having numerous dolphins scanning the waters could enhance the whales’ chances of finding fish, according to Fortune.

“It’s akin to turning on the high beams of a vehicle; the sound serves as the light,” she elaborates.

Prior to this, scientists have noted cooperation among various species, such as fish guiding octopuses to crustaceans and nectar birds leading humans to bee colonies. However, documented interactions between killer whales and other species have often involved predatory behaviors.

Recently, killer whales were reported to have rammed and sunk six sailing vessels around the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting they may be engaging with boats rather than attacking. They are playing with them.

Brittany Visona Kelly from the global conservation group Ocean Wise asserts that the dolphins in this study are not aiding the whales but scavenging leftovers. In a study she and her colleagues, including Lance Barrett-Leonard, revealed drone footage showing whales seemingly ignoring the dolphins, playing with them, and occasionally charging at them. Their findings suggest that dolphins primarily seek refuge from a specific group of mammal-eating killer whales, known as big killer whales, which tend to avoid resident orcas.

“We found no clear evidence that these interactions benefit killer whales,” Visona-Kelly concluded.

The study reported last month indicated that between 30 to 40 white-tailed dolphins encircled an emaciated killer whale known to researchers as “I76,” who remained submerged and did not reemerge. This suggests that the dolphins may have “exhausted I76, making it impossible for him to surface.”

Luke Rendell from the University of St. Andrews in the UK emphasized that the new research provides compelling evidence of cooperation, whether the whales are interpreting dolphin echolocation or drawn to the commotion as a potential indicator of fish.

“These animals are intelligent and possess adaptable behaviors,” he notes. “We witness a range of interactions between killer whales and dolphins, from the former preying on each other to playful interactions and collaborative efforts.”

Topics:

  • whale and dolphin/
  • animal behavior

Source: www.newscientist.com

Study Suggests Birds Might Possess a Basic Form of Conscious Perception

Posted on by
Reply

Among them is a new paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Researchers Gianmarco Maldarelli and Onur Güntürkün from Ruhr University Bochum emphasize three key areas where birds exhibit significant parallels with mammalian conscious experience: sensory consciousness, the neurobiological foundation, and the nature of self-consciousness.

Maldarelli and Güntürkün demonstrate that there is increasing evidence that (i) birds possess sentience and self-awareness, and (ii) they also have the necessary neural structures for these traits. Image credit: Kutte.

First, research on sensory consciousness reveals that birds do not just automatically respond to stimuli; they also experience them subjectively.

Similar to humans, pigeons can alternate between different interpretations of ambiguous visual signals.

Moreover, crows exhibit neural responses that reflect their subjective perception rather than just the physical presence of a stimulus.

At times, crows consciously recognize a stimulus, while at other times, they do not; certain neurons activate specifically in correspondence to this internal experience.

Second, bird brains possess functional components that satisfy theoretical requirements for conscious processing, despite their differing structures.

“The caudolateral nidopallium (NCL), which is akin to the prefrontal cortex in birds, features extensive connectivity that allows for flexible integration and processing of information,” noted Güntürkün.

“The avian forebrain connectome, illustrating the complete flow of information among brain regions, shows numerous similarities to those of mammals.”

“As such, birds fulfill criteria outlined in many established theories of consciousness, including the global neuronal workspace theory.”

Third, more recent studies indicate that birds may exhibit various forms of self-awareness.

While certain corvid species have successfully passed the traditional mirror test, alternative ecologically relevant versions of the test have unveiled additional self-awareness types in other bird species.

“Research has demonstrated that pigeons and chickens can differentiate their reflections in mirrors from real-life counterparts and respond accordingly,” explained Güntürkün.

“This indicates a fundamental sense of situational self-awareness.”

The results imply that consciousness is an older and more prevalent evolutionary trait than previously believed.

Birds illustrate that conscious processing can occur without a cerebral cortex, achieving similar functional solutions through different brain architectures.

_____

Gianmarco Maldarelli and Onur Gunturkun. 2025. Conscious birds. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 380 (1939): 20240308; doi: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0308

Source: www.sci.news

Can Cells Form in Venus’s Clouds? – Cyworthy

Posted on by
Reply

Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is often called Earth’s sister planet. If extraterrestrial observers on a remote exoplanet were to analyze our solar system with the same methods used by observers on Earth today, the two planets would appear strikingly similar. Both are rocky, with nearly identical diameters and masses, and both exist within or near the solar system’s habitable zone. However, only one of them is known to support life.

A significant difference between the two planets—and a likely reason for the first—is their atmospheric compositions. Earth’s atmosphere comprises approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, whereas Venus’ atmosphere consists of more than 96% carbon dioxide. In the distant past, volcanic activity released this carbon dioxide, triggering an uncontrollable greenhouse effect. This process, coupled with Venus’ proximity to the Sun, has driven its surface temperature to a searing 500°C (900°F).

Harold Morowitz and Carl Sagan first observed in 1967 that although Venus’ barren surfaces may be inhospitable to life as we know it, its clouds present “an entirely different story,” according to Morowitz. The upper atmosphere of Venus contains low levels of water vapor and cloud regions characterized by extreme temperatures and pressures. These conditions could potentially support some types of terrestrial microorganisms and have led scientists to investigate the clouds of Venus. In the 1970s, these clouds were found to be primarily composed of sulfuric acid, which is considered incompatible with life. Nevertheless, a controversial detection of phosphine—gases found in Venus’ clouds that could be produced by microbes on Earth—has prompted some astrobiologists to reevaluate this notion of habitability. This has opened discussions on potential habitability.

Previously, researchers established that biomolecules such as the nucleic acids forming DNA can remain stable for up to one year in sulfuric acid concentrations ranging from 81% to 98%. To advance this research, scientists at the University of Chicago have recently tested whether more complex organic structures can also form in concentrated sulfuric acid.

They began with a set of carbon-based molecules known as lipids. Lipids serve as the foundation of cell membranes, acting as a barrier to the external environment and regulating what enters and exits the cell. The research team contended that cell membranes are essential for life, especially under extreme conditions like those present in Venus’ clouds. Thus, they evaluated whether simple lipids could create membranous structures called vesicles in concentrated sulfuric acid.

Membrane lipids feature one side that is attracted to water, known as the hydrophilic side, and another that repels water, termed the hydrophobic side (Figure below, left). The hydrophilic side consists of long carbon chains, referred to as tails, while the hydrophobic side comprises charged compounds known as polar heads. In cell membranes, lipids are arranged in bilayers, with hydrophilic tails oriented inwards and hydrophobic heads facing outwards (Figure below, right). The research team selected simple, commercially available lipids with tails of 10 or 18 carbon atoms and polar heads of trimethylamine, sulfate, and phosphonate. These tailed lipids were chosen for their solubility and ability to form membrane structures due to their hydrophobic nature.

Illustration of a single simple lipid (left) and stacked lipids forming a cell membrane structure (right). Created by the author.

To assess the lipids’ resilience against sulfuric acid, various concentrations of each 10-carbon lipid were incubated in 1%, 30%, and 70% sulfuric acid for a minimum of 1 hour at room temperature. Utilizing a method that evaluates molecular structures based on their magnetic properties, they examined how increasing acid concentrations affected the lipids. Results indicated that trimethylamine and phosphonate lipids remained stable in up to 70% sulfuric acid, although around 20% of the sulfate head degraded.

The researchers then explored whether the lipids could form vesicles in these sulfuric acid solutions. They prepared lipid mixtures across varying concentrations in 70% to 90% sulfuric acid, measuring the particle size of the lipid-acid mixture using light scattering techniques. They discovered that a 50/50 blend of 10-carbon or 18-carbon lipids produced particles comparable in size to typical vesicles in 70% and 80% sulfuric acid solutions, with these particles maintaining stability even after a week.

Upon examination under a high-powered microscope, the lipid particles formed foam-like vesicles. Lastly, numerical models illustrated that the charged ends of lipid and acid molecules interact at the molecular level to help stabilize the vesicles and prevent the entry of acid.

The researchers concluded that simple lipids can create stable membrane-like structures in sulfuric acid concentrations similar to those found in Venusian clouds. They recommended that future studies conduct laboratory experiments to validate the molecular model and ascertain whether lipid membranes can effectively block sulfuric acid. These scientists are beginning to formulate a clearer picture of the potential types of life that could exist within the cloud layers of Venus, although that picture remains largely incomplete.


Post views: 28

Source: sciworthy.com

Physicists develop innovative form of structured light: Optical rotation

Posted on by
Reply

According to a team of Harvard physicists, the structure of the optically rotating animal continues in a logarithmic spiral.

The evolution of light beams carrying the optical decy as a function of propagation distance. Image credits: Dorrah et al. , doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adr9092.

“This is a new behavior of light consisting of optical vortices that propagate space and change in an anomalous way,” says Professor Federico Capaso, a senior author of the study.

“It can potentially help you manipulate small substances.”

With a unique twist, the researchers have discovered that orbital angular momentum-mediated beams of light grow in mathematically recognizable patterns found throughout nature.

Reflecting the Fibonacci number sequence, their optical rotations propagate into logarithmic spirals found in Nautilus shells, sunflower seeds, and tree branches.

“It was one of the unexpected highlights of this study,” says Dr. Ahmed Dora, the first author of the study.

“Hopefully we can help others, who are experts in applied mathematics, to further study these light patterns and gain unique insight into their universal signature.”

This study is based on previous research by the team using thin lenses etched with thin nanostructures to create a light beam with controlled polarization and orbital angular momentum along its propagation path, converting the input of light into other structures that change when it moves.

Now they have introduced another degree of freedom in their light. There, spatial torque can be changed as it propagates.

“We show even more versatility in control and we can do it on a continuous basis,” said Alfonso Palmieri, co-author of the study.

Potential use cases for such exotic rays involve the control of very small particles, such as colloids, in suspension, by introducing new types of forces according to the unusual torque of light.

It also allows for precise optical tweezers for small operations.

Others have demonstrated light that changes torque using high-intensity lasers and bulky setups, but scientists have created theirs with a single liquid crystal display and a low-intensity beam.

By showing that they can create rotary rotary devices in industry-compatible, integrated devices, the barriers to entry for their technology to become a reality are much lower than in previous demos.

“Our research expands the previous literature on structured light, providing new modalities for light and physics, and sensing, suggesting similar effects of condensed material physics and Bose-Einstein condensates,” they concluded.

study Published in the journal Advances in science.

____

Ahmed H. Dora et al. 2025. Rotation of light. Advances in science 11 (15); doi:10.1126/sciadv.adr9092

Source: www.sci.news

Researchers may have just found a previously unknown form of life

Posted on by
Reply

Scientists have a passion for categorizing things, especially when it comes to life on Earth. The common categories are animals, plants, fungi, protists (like algae and amoeba), bacteria, and archaea (microscopic single-celled organisms).

However, recent studies have hinted that there might be more to the tree of life than we previously thought. This is due to a prehistoric cylindrical life form that some British scientists believe belongs to a unique branch of life.

The mysterious creature is known as Prototaxite and existed around 44-360 million years ago.

Professor Benjamin J.W. Mills, an expert in the evolution of the Earth system at Leeds University, mentioned that these creatures evolved during a time when Earth was becoming more habitable for organisms like them. The spread of plants and fungi on land increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere, leading to a surge in global photosynthesis.

These Prototaxite towers could reach heights of up to 8 meters and were often mistaken for massive tree trunks, despite only being a few inches wide.

Initially thought to be a type of fungus, recent research on Prototaxite suggests otherwise. By analyzing the fossilized bodies of Prototaxites Taiti found in Scotland, scientists concluded that it was a distinct life form rather than a fungus.

Unlike true fungi, the cells of P. Taiti contained lignin instead of chitin. This difference in molecular composition confirmed that it was not a fungus but rather a member of an extinct lineage.

The implications of these findings raise questions about the evolution of life and its impact on Earth’s atmosphere. The study of P. Taiti sheds light on the intricate relationship between organisms and their environment over time.

Experts like Professor Neil Gow from the University of Exeter emphasize the significance of such discoveries in understanding our planet’s history and potential habitability of other worlds.

To learn more about the experts involved in this research:

About our experts

Benjamin JW Mills is a biogeochemist and professor of the evolution of the Earth System at Leeds University. His work focuses on understanding the environmental changes that shaped Earth’s habitability and whether similar conditions could exist on other planets.

Neil Gow is a former professor of microbiology at the University of Exeter. His research on fungal diseases and cell wall structure has contributed to our understanding of life-threatening infections.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Are video games the most expensive form of entertainment ever, with multi-billion dollar budgets?

Posted on by
Reply

HHow much does it cost to make a video game? The development costs for blockbuster games are closely guarded trade secrets, but they’re rising year by year in preparation for Hollywood-style mega-spending.

Due to industry leaks, exposure How major video game budgets are ballooning to $100 million, $200 million, and even more. The cost of Call of Duty, one of the best-selling franchises, has ballooned to $700m (£573m), but it’s just a number It was recently revealed When reporters took a closer look at court filings.

But there’s one game whose budget is no secret at all. Vast multiplayer space simulator Star Citizen releases funding on the website And they are updated in real time. Currently, that amount is $777,145,107 (this number will be outdated as soon as this article is published). It will quickly surpass $800 million, and will probably break through the roof within a year or so, becoming the world’s first billion-dollar video game.

Unless we lose another big game – and then Some of the things in productionThe cost is likely not disclosed, but if it were, it would be the most expensive piece of entertainment ever produced. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, most expensive movie ever madecosts about half that.

Star Citizen’s numbers are public because the PC game is being funded by players themselves, not investors.

“The heart of Star Citizen is fandom,” says Rhys Elliott, a gaming industry analyst at London-based market research firm MIDiA Research. “This is more of a movement than a game. There’s a mutual commitment between developers and players to create something cool and innovative that hasn’t been seen before.”

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ChtnTrMeGco?start=1850&wmode=opaque&feature=oembed&start=1850" title="Star Citizen 4.0 is starting to really come together.." height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

Olli43 playing the latest version of Star Citizen.

British-American video game developer Chris Roberts – famous figure in the 1990s wing commander spacecraft Fighting Series – Started as Star Citizen Crowdfunding project In 2012, it promised to create a digital universe so large, yet so detailed, that players would “forget it’s a game.”

He raised his first $2 million on Kickstarter and has since grown that amount, driven by fans willing to invest in plans so ambitious that profitable, deadline-focused publishers wouldn’t consider the risks. continues to grow.

Years later, early versions of the game were available for fans to test, but they were almost always unplayable, constantly freezing or crashing. It’s only recently that Star Citizen has started to look and feel like a real video game.

YouTube is full of videos of players cruising around the Star Citizen world. Their spaceship flies seamlessly from a space station, descending through the planet’s atmosphere and landing in a sci-fi style city, before heading on foot into caverns deep underground. Warp holes have been added to the game, allowing players to jump between two solar systems.

“Space games are so easy to get excited about,” says Oliver Hull, who runs events focused on the games. YouTube channel The number of subscribers is 1.56 million. “It’s a very beautiful game. Visually, I think people look at it and think, ‘Oh, what’s this all about?'”

Hal, 32, used to play a lot of other games like Grand Theft Auto, but now he mainly plays Star Citizen, where he has to mine asteroids and attack space pirates. Most of the videos are posted of them running around looking for things to do. In Hal’s videos, you can often see him getting frustrated when things don’t go his way. But that’s part of the interest, he says.

“Frankly, this game is still in development,” he says. “When something doesn’t work as intended, it doesn’t bother me too much because it’s like a work in progress. If anything, I think it’s very interesting from a game development perspective.”

What drives fans of Star Citizen is the rough edges of the game, the promise of what the future holds, and seeing the game slowly move in that direction. “I can’t think of many games like Star Citizen,” says Hull. “It’s not finished yet, but I think it’s very appealing, the fact that there’s nothing else that can match it.”

It may not be over yet, but people have continued to pay for Star Citizen. Starter ships cost $45, and the game currently includes over 80 flyable ships. The most expensive ones currently available cost over £500.

Pre-release versions allow development team Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) to test how the game works with live players during development. But it also gives funders a tangible glimpse into the long and complex process of game development, rather than waiting years for a full release.

Skip past newsletter promotions

As time goes on, it becomes increasingly important to satisfy the community. Many fans are currently donating large sums of money, including through a controversial money-making scheme in which CIG pre-sells future spaceships online. Some so-called “superbackers” Spent well over $10,000.

Elliott, the industry analyst, said fans are “putting so much money into it, and they’re really emotionally invested.”

The Star Citizen website displays ships for sale. Photo: Roberts Space Industries

The development team is also feeling pressure from the community. Allegations in industry media CIG management was criticized for imposing long working hours. a A 2016 survey by gaming website Kotaku It quoted a former employee who described “crisis” practices in which development teams were asked to work overtime before major milestones, such as gaming tournaments. Roberts told Kotaku at the time that he didn’t want “crunch as a culture.”

CIG describes Star Citizen as “the largest open development game in existence,” but its ambitions have meant the game has been in development for more than a decade, with frustrating delays. In a 2012 interview with Roberts, the Guardian reported that the game was planned to be released two years later, in 2014. Questions are regularly asked on fan forums about whether the game will be released properly.

But late last year, signs of hope began to appear. For the first time, C.I.G. Revealed what the final launch version will look likeprovides a clear vision of what is and is not included, even if no date is specified.

But what they offered was a 2026 release date for Squadrons 42, a standalone single-player game. It’s a story-driven tale set within the broader Star Citizen universe, starring a Hollywood voice cast including Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, and Robinson. Andy Serkis.

We can certainly expect more delays, but the end may finally be in sight.

A game made traditionally through an established publisher with investors expecting a return couldn’t survive 13 years of development without a finished product. Star Citizen was able to buck the trend of other industries in the grip of rising costs and regular layoffs. Its main backers are players rather than investors, and their motivations are different.

“I think Star Citizen’s funders saw this as a direct way to fight back against corporatization and support a passion project of the highest order,” Elliott says. “Success isn’t about maximizing value and return on investment through spreadsheets alone, it’s about putting fans at the center.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

First-ever imaging of a novel form of magnetism: alternating current magnetism

Posted on by
Reply

Alternating current magnetism is a unique form of magnetic ordering in which small magnetic components align antiparallel to their neighbors, but the structure housing each element is rotated relative to its neighbors. . Professor Peter Wadleigh and colleagues at the University of Nottingham have shown that this new type of magnetism exists and can be controlled with microscopic equipment.

Mapping of alternating current magnetic order vectors in MnTe. Image credit: Amin others., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08234-x.

Magnetic materials are used in a large portion of long-term computer memory and in the latest generation of microelectronic devices.

Not only is this a large and important industry, but it is also a global source of carbon emissions.

Replacing key components with alternative magnetic materials has the potential to lead to significant increases in speed and efficiency, while significantly reducing dependence on rare and toxic heavy elements required by traditional ferromagnetic technology .

Alternating magnets combine the advantageous properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets in a single material.

They are more robust, more energy efficient, and have the potential to increase the speed of microelectronic components and digital memory by a factor of 1,000.

“An alternating current magnet consists of magnetic moments pointing antiparallel to neighboring magnets,” Professor Wadley says.

“But each part of the crystal that hosts these tiny moments is rotated relative to its neighboring parts. It's like a twist on antiferromagnetism. But this subtle difference It has a big impact.”

Dr Oliver Amin, from the University of Nottingham, said: “Our experimental work provides a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-world implementation, and illuminates the path towards the development of alternative magnetic materials for practical application. I look forward to that.”

The new experimental study was conducted at the MAX IV international facility in Sweden.

This facility, which looks like a giant metal donut, is an electron accelerator called a synchrotron that generates X-rays.

A magnetic material is irradiated with X-rays, and the electrons emitted from the surface are detected using a special microscope.

This allows us to generate images of magnetism within materials with small feature resolution down to the nanoscale.

“Being the first to confirm the effects and properties of this promising new class of magnetic materials has been a hugely rewarding and rewarding privilege,” said the University of Nottingham PhD. Student Alfred Dal Din.

team's work Published in a magazine nature.

_____

OJ Amin others. 2024. Nanoscale imaging and control of alternating current magnetism in MnTe. nature 636, 348-353;doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08234-x

Source: www.sci.news

New observations from ALMA indicate that planets can form in challenging stellar environments

Posted on by
Reply

Astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) to take high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks. sigma orionisa star cluster that is irradiated with strong ultraviolet light from a massive star. Surprisingly, they found evidence of gaps and rings in most of the disks. These are the substructures commonly associated with the formation of giant exoplanets.

These ALMA images show the rich disk structure around the star Sigma Orioni. Image credits: ALMA / ESO / JAO / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / NRAO / Huang others.

“We expected that high levels of radiation within this cluster would inhibit planet formation in the outer regions of these disks,” the Columbia University astronomers said. jane fan.

“But instead, we are seeing signs that planets may be forming at distances of tens of astronomical units from their stars, similar to what we have observed in less harsh environments.”

Previous research has focused on regions of the disk with little ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

This study used ALMA's highest resolution to observe a disk in a much harsher environment.

“These observations suggest that the processes driving planet formation are very robust and can function even under difficult conditions,” said Dr. Huang.

“This gives us even more confidence that planets may be forming in many more places across the galaxy, even in areas previously thought to be too harsh.”

The discovery has important implications for understanding the formation of our own solar system, which likely evolved in a similar high-radiation environment.

These also motivate future studies of disks in more extreme stellar neighborhoods.

Astronomers used ALMA's most extended antenna configuration to obtain unprecedented detail in disk images, achieving a resolution of about 8 AU (astronomical units).

This allowed us to resolve several different gaps and rings on several disks.

The exact nature of these disk structures is still under debate, but it is thought that they either contribute to planet formation or are the result of interactions between the forming planet and the disk's material.

“Our observations suggest that the substructure is common not only in disks near mildly illuminated star-forming regions, but also in disks exposed to intermediate levels of external ultraviolet radiation.” the researchers said.

“If these substructures track planet-disk interactions, ice and gas giant planets may still be forming on Solar System scales in Sigma Orioni, but with very large semi-major axes (50 Giant planet formation in the ~100 AU) region may be rare compared to star formation in nearby regions. ”

“These observations motivate high-resolution imaging of the disk in more extreme ultraviolet environments to investigate the universality of the disk's substructure.”

of findings Coming up this week are: astrophysical journal.

_____

jane fan others. 2024. High-resolution ALMA observations of the highly structured protoplanetary disk of σ Orionis. APJ 976,132;doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad84df

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists discover precise form of individual photon

Posted on by
Reply

New research from the University of Birmingham examines the properties of photons (individual particles of light) in more detail than ever before.

Ben Yuen and Angela Demetriadou define the precise shape of a single photon. Image credit: Ben Yuen and Angela Demetriadou.

Professor Angela Demetriadou from the University of Birmingham said: “The geometry and optical properties of the environment have a significant impact on how photons are emitted, including defining their shape, color, and even the likelihood of their existence.” said.

The team's new research shows how photons are emitted by atoms and molecules and how they are shaped by their environment.

The nature of this interaction creates endless possibilities for light to exist and propagate, or travel, through the surrounding environment.

However, this infinite possibility makes modeling interactions extremely difficult, a challenge that quantum physicists have been grappling with for decades.

By grouping these possibilities into distinct sets, the authors explain not only the interaction between the photon and the emitter, but also how the energy from that interaction is transmitted far into the far field. I was able to create a model.

At the same time, they were able to use calculations to visualize the photons themselves.

“Our calculations have enabled us to transform a seemingly unsolvable problem into a computable problem,” said Dr. Benjamin Yuen from the University of Birmingham.

“And almost as a byproduct of the model, we were able to generate this image of a photon that physics had never seen before.”

This research is important because it opens new research avenues for quantum physicists and materials scientists.

Being able to precisely define how photons interact with matter and other elements of its environment allows scientists to discover ways to communicate securely, detect pathogens, control chemical reactions at the molecular level, and more. We can design new nanophotonics technologies that have the potential to change the world.

“This research will help us better understand the energy exchange between light and matter, which in turn will help us better understand how light radiates into nearby and distant environments,” Yuen said. Ta.

“A lot of this information used to be thought of as just noise, but there is so much information in it that we can now understand and use. .”

“By understanding this, we have established a foundation from which we can engineer light-matter interactions for future applications such as better sensors, improved photovoltaic cells, and quantum computing.”

of work Published in a magazine physical review letter.

_____

Ben Yuen and Angela Demetriadou. 2024. Precise quantum electrodynamics of synchrotron radiation environments. Physics. pastor rhett 133, 203604; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.203604

Source: www.sci.news

Elon Musk Shapes TechScape: X into its Ultimate Form

Posted on by
Reply

Hello. Welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, technology news editor at Guardian US. In today’s newsletter, we discuss the final form of X, learnings from a jam-packed week of earnings, and niche online Halloween costumes. Thank you for your participation.

The US election culminates the transformation of X into Elon Musk’s weapon. He has managed to bend social networks to his will.

Last week, Musk tweeted and linked to a forum within X called the Election Integrity Community, encouraging his followers to report “potential voting fraud or fraud.” Experts told my colleague Johana Bhuiyan that the community, which has more than 50,000 members, has a swamp of conspiratorial overtones and uncorrected misinformation that will make it a face in 2020. It is said that it is similar to the book “Stop the Steal” group.

Users posting to the self-contained feed quickly began pointing out what appeared to be evidence of fraud and election interference.

Tweets showing everything from torn ballots to ABC News to system tests to postal workers doing their jobs and dropping mail-in ballots were all presented as evidence that the presidential election was compromised. Some of the tweets include attempts to record personal information and identify people who users have falsely accused of stuffing ballots and interfering with voting by Trump supporters. Before anyone can decide whether the allegation is true or false, users occupy the post and assume the unsuspecting person they see is guilty.

Mr. Musk has weaponized the ability of X. He is trying to bend the posts of others to his own political will and frame the discussion into an alternate reality. He gives preferential treatment to some posts and hides others. The Washington Post reported last week that of the top 100 tweeting accounts in Congress, only Republicans are spreading the word. When he first acquired Twitter, Musk deployed Twitter’s internal documents to rebuild its public image. twitter file. He then criticized his own account for supporting Donald Trump. He bombarded his followers with pro-Trump messages and flawed Trump interviews on the Twitter space.

We have never seen a transformation like X. Billionaires are not afraid of campaigning or naked partisanship, bending the connected networks of tens of millions of people to their own vision of reality. The October surprise was Elon Musk.

With no economic success with forced purchases, Musk turned to politics to make his $44 billion bet pay off. My colleague Dan Milmo says: “Company X’s continued influence as a news source and its role as a vehicle for broadcasting its owner’s right-wing views to over 200 million followers requires measuring the benefit to the world’s richest people. That means no ‘financial benchmarks alone.” Think of the restoration of Trump’s account and all of Musk’s pro-Trump tweets as an in-kind donation that Musk will cash in on during Trump’s presidency.

Will it ever end once the election is over? – The value of X decreases. It will become less important for the world’s richest man to make noise about voter fraud conspiracies. As with any media that has seen an increase in interest in political battles and the associated craters, X’s traffic will likely decline. We will see the effects of Mr. Musk’s weaponization in the light.

Lessons learned from profits

The floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: Spencer Pratt/Getty Images

Five of the Magnificent Seven (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Apple) announced their quarterly results last week. Not all stocks rose, but all beat Wall Street’s earnings expectations. Several lessons can be learned from their impressive performance.

1. Advertising remains the lifeblood of the internet economy
Google’s revenue, Meta’s revenue, and even Amazon’s revenue show that digital advertising can still maintain an empire.

2. Investments in AI, especially in cloud businesses, are paying off.
Bully Google, Microsoft, and Amazon! Like Meta, these companies have increased their capital spending by tens of billions of dollars to pay for their artificial intelligence products, but investors think it’s worth it. It seems so. Each company reported strong growth in its cloud business. Meta’s investments in open source AI likewise led to Meta AI being deployed at Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and claiming the title of most used AI. Investors loved it.

3. Both of these outcomes benefit one company in particular
Last week, Reddit became the first publicly traded company to report a profit, posting a massive 68% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year. The company makes most of its revenue from advertising, so a strong market means Reddit makes more money, even if it’s a smaller player than Google or Meta. Reddit’s ad revenue increased by 56%.

Reddit chief Steve Huffman also attributed the company’s better-than-expected results to a new revenue stream: deals with AI companies. Anyone who wants to build a large-scale language model that generates English text uses Reddit to train their AI. That social network is a huge, well-organized collection of human-written texts. Reddit licenses its datasets to Google, OpenAI, and others for tens of millions of dollars. That funding source may not last forever, but it’s not going away anytime soon.

Reddit is also benefiting from AI. The social network’s monthly user count increased by half to 97 million in the past quarter alone. Huffman attributes the dramatic increase to the social network’s new translation feature, which uses AI to transliterate English posts into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German. The company plans to expand this feature in the coming months.

Skip past newsletter promotions

new york magazine John Herman points out on Reddit:As a repository of human-written material, it is also useful for people who want to be sure that what they are reading was not written by an AI. As a result, Reddit has become “Google’s favorite website” and a throne with the Sword of Damocles, Herman writes. Huffman said Reddit became the sixth most searched word on Google. Many digital media reach similar heights only to be brought down by a crash.

This week on iPhone

Halloween costumers made headlines on Twitter and Instagram this week. Photo: Sonia Bonnet/Alamy

Niche Halloween costumes have received meme treatment with a proliferation of jokes starting with “I hate gay Halloween…” on Instagram with X. This meme seems to point to something bigger. Online culture has gotten to the point where we’re not just debating the appeal of individual specific references. NeNe Leaks and the white refrigeratorFor example, we discuss the value of taking internet inside jokes seriously. Is it worth wearing a bulky cardboard box all night screaming, “This is from an early season of ‘The Real Housewives’!” It’s a little self-loathing to start a tweet about your costume with “I hate it.” We expect to see more witches and cats next year.

Although perhaps not. a Rebuttal from X In the Name of Joy: “I love everyone’s niche Halloween costumes!! “I love the specificity of it. I love the creativity. Putting so much time and effort into something literally just to make yourself laugh And I really love having things explained to me when I don’t understand.

As for me, I dressed up as a skeleton for the third year in a row.

Wider Techscape

Keeping up with tons of messages in group chats can be a pain. Photo: Weare/Getty Images

Source: www.theguardian.com

Neutron stars merging form heavy elements, scientists find

Posted on by
Reply

Since the 1920s, Edwin Hubble Ever since it was discovered that the universe is expanding, astrophysicists have been asking themselves the question, “Where does matter come from?” In the Big Bang theory, a possible explanation, not a TV show, astrophysicists propose that the universe began with an explosion, a single hot, dense point expanding, then cooling down to transform from pure energy into solid matter. But that origin story ends with the two smallest elements: hydrogen and helium. Not everything in the universe is made of these two elements, leaving scientists with a new question: “Where does other matter come from?”

The emergence of nuclear physics in the early 20th century gave astronomers their first big clue. Researchers studying stars noted that stars are very bright and require a large source of energy to produce that much light. Nuclear physicists, including Albert Einstein and his famous E = mc2 The equations showed that one of the most powerful sources of energy in the universe is the smashing of smaller atoms together to create larger ones – nuclear fusion. And that's exactly what stars do in the hot, dense regions at their centers, called “nuclear fusion.” coreBut there's a limit to this process in stars — specifically, iron, which is the 26th of the 92 naturally occurring elements. Stars create energy by colliding elements with each other, but elements bigger than iron need to generate more energy than they can give off, which is why elements heavier than iron, like gold and uranium, remain unexplained.

Researchers have discovered the next clue in a massive, bright stellar explosion in the night sky. SupernovaIt turns out that massive stars, more than 10 times the size of the Sun, burn up their accumulated elements to fuse rapidly. These stars not only shine, but also run out of energy to hold themselves together, exploding and scattering their outer layers of elements in all directions. This is a supernova explosion. For decades, astrophysicists thought that heavy elements were created from a chaotic mixture of light elements and free energy. However, careful observation of supernovae has shown that the amount of heavy elements produced in the explosion is less than what is needed to explain the abundance of heavy elements in the universe.

Astrophysicists got the final clue in 2017 when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected the first binary neutron star (BNS) merger. RaigoThe final stage in the life cycle of a massive star, between 10 and 25 times the mass of the Sun, is Neutron StarDuring this stage, the star's core collapses, and the electrons and protons in atoms get so close together that they fuse into neutrons. Two neutron stars orbiting each other collide, scattering debris into the surrounding galaxy. Researchers propose that this phenomenon could provide the energy and matter needed to fuse heavy elements into the heaviest naturally occurring elements.

Researchers from Peking University and Guangxi University wanted to test whether BNS mergers could produce elements heavier than iron. Because the event is extremely rare, occurring only a few dozen times per year across our galaxy, they couldn't just point their telescopes into space and hope for luck. Instead, they used advanced nuclear physics software to simulate a BNS merger.

The researchers gave their simulations specific initial conditions, such as what atoms were present in the stars when the collision began, the rates of nuclear reactions and decay, the number of electrons mixing, and the sizes of the colliding neutron stars. They then mathematically described how temperature, volume, and pressure relate to matter. Equation of stateIt simulates the effects of the collision and calculates what elements would be formed and released into space.

The team found that these BNS mergers could produce huge amounts of very heavy elements, between 300 and 30,000 times the mass of the Sun, which is 10 to 1,000 times the amount produced by supernovae. The team believes that this result could explain the abundance of heavy elements observed in the Galaxy in relation to other cosmic effects, e.g. Galactic WindHowever, the researchers acknowledged that their findings cannot explain the abundance of all heavy elements, especially those at the lower end of the atomic mass range they studied. They explained that these elements are probably still being created in the cores of collapsing stars, but suggested that future researchers should further test this hypothesis.


Post View: 40

Source: sciworthy.com

Olympic athletes may encounter tough competition in the form of scorching Paris temperatures

Posted on by
Reply


Pierre Maslow, a statistician at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated that Paris is considered the highest risk city among all European capitals. Heat exposure concerns in 854 European cities.

The Olympic Village in Paris will feature a wildlife-friendly rooftop, environmentally-friendly building materials, and green spaces including a public park.

However, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the event, no air conditioning will be installed in the players’ rooms. Instead, the complex will rely on natural airflow cooling and groundwater cooling systems. Organizers mentioned that even in the heat, nighttime temperatures do not exceed 79 degrees. Read more here.

A study in Nature Climate and Atmospheric Science suggests that heatwave temperatures are on the rise in comparison to 2003. Temperatures could now reach up to 7 degrees F higher than during the 2003 heatwave.

During the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, extreme heat affected many athletes, leading to rescheduling of events. About 110 athletes suffered heatstroke during the Tokyo Games due to high temperatures. Endurance events were moved to Sapporo to deal with the heat.

The absence of spectators at the Tokyo Games helped reduce the burden on medical staff, according to Shota Tanaka, a part-time researcher at Kokushikan University. However, this is an issue that Paris must consider as the number of heatstroke cases is expected to be high.

Tanaka added, “Holding the Olympics in August is fundamentally a risky idea from a heatstroke perspective.” Athletes typically prepare for the heat several weeks before the games.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Confirmation of the existence of a new form of magnetism

Posted on by
Reply

AC magnetism works differently than standard magnetism

Libor Chemeikal and Anna Birk Hellenes

A new type of magnetism has been measured for the first time. Alternative magnets that combine the properties of different types of existing magnets could be used to make high-capacity, high-speed memory devices and new types of magnetic computers.

Until the 20th century, permanent magnets were thought to consist of only one type of ferromagnetic material. Ferromagnetic effects are seen in objects with relatively strong external magnetic fields, such as refrigerator magnets and compass needles.

These fields are caused by the magnetic spins of the magnet’s electrons aligned in one direction.

But in the 1930s, French physicist Louis Niel discovered another type of magnetism called antiferromagnetism, in which the spin of the electrons alternates up and down. Although antiferromagnets do not have the external magnetic field of ferromagnets, they exhibit interesting internal magnetic properties because of their alternating spins.

And in 2019, researchers Complex currents in the crystal structure of certain antiferromagnets, called the anomalous Hall effect, which could not be explained using the conventional alternating spin theory. Current flowed without an external magnetic field.

When we looked at the crystal from the perspective of a sheet of spins, it seemed to us that: A third type of permanent magnetism, called vicarious magnetism, may be responsible. Alternating magnets look like antiferromagnets, but the sheets of spin look the same no matter what angle they are rotated from. This explains the Hall effect, but no one had seen the electronic signature of the structure itself, so scientists weren’t sure if it was definitely a new kind of magnetism.

now, Juraj Krempaski and his colleagues at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Billigen, Switzerland, and his colleagues have discovered that by measuring the electronic structure within the crystals of magnesium telluride, previously thought to be antiferromagnetic, they were able to create an alternating magnet. confirmed the existence of

To do this, they measured how light reflected off magnesium telluride and found the energy and speed of the electrons in the crystal. After mapping these electrons, they found that they matched almost exactly the predictions given by simulations of alternating current magnetic materials.

The electrons appear to be split into two groups, which allows them to move more within the crystal and is the source of the unusual magnetic properties. “This gave us direct evidence that we can talk about metamorphic magnets and that they behave as predicted by theory,” Krempasky says.

This grouping of electrons appears to originate from the nonmagnetic tellurium atoms in the crystal structure, which separates the magnesium’s magnetic charge into each plane, allowing for its unusual rotational symmetry.

“It’s really amazing to prove that these substances actually exist,” he says. Richard Evans At York University, UK. Not only can electrons in alternating magnets move more freely than electrons in antiferromagnets, but this new type of magnet has no external magnetic fields like ferromagnets, so it could be used to create non-interfering magnetic devices. Evans says. each other.

This characteristic can increase the storage capacity of your computer’s hard drive. This is because commercially available devices are packed with ferromagnetic materials so tightly that external magnetic fields in the material begin to interfere. AC magnets can be packed more densely.

They say this magnet could even lead to spintronic computers that use magnetic spins instead of electrical current to perform measurements and calculations. joseph barker At the University of Leeds in the UK, memory and computer chips have been combined into a single device. “This may give more hope to the idea that spintronic devices can become a reality,” Barker says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

AI Found to Form Memories in Similar Way to Humans, a Surprising Discovery

Posted on by
Reply

The multidisciplinary team discovered that AI models, and Transformer in particular, process memories in a manner similar to the hippocampus in the human brain. This breakthrough suggests that applying neuroscience principles like NMDA receptors to AI can improve memory function, advance the field of AI, and provide insight into human brain function. doing. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Researchers have discovered that memory consolidation processes in AI are similar to those in the human brain, particularly the hippocampus, opening the door to advances in AI and a deeper understanding of human memory mechanisms.

The interdisciplinary team, comprised of researchers from the Center for Cognition and Sociality and researchers from the Data Science Group within the Institute of Basic Sciences (IBS), will study memory processing in artificial intelligence (AI) models and the hippocampus and hippocampus of the human brain. revealed that there are striking similarities between the two. This new discovery provides a new perspective on memory consolidation, the process of converting short-term memory into long-term memory in AI systems.

Evolving AI through understanding human intelligence

Understanding and replicating human-like intelligence has become a key research focus in the race to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), led by influential organizations such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind. At the heart of these technological advances is the Transformer model. [Figure 1]its fundamental principles are now being explored in new depths.

Figure 1. (a) Diagram showing ion channel activity in a postsynaptic neuron. AMPA receptors are involved in the activation of postsynaptic neurons, while NMDA receptors are blocked by magnesium ions (Mg2⁺), whereas calcium ions (Ca2⁺) are activated when postsynaptic neurons are fully activated. Induces synaptic plasticity through influx. (b) Flow diagram representing the computational process within the Transformer AI model. Information is processed sequentially through stages such as feedforward layer, layer normalization, and self-attention layer. The graph showing the current vs. voltage relationship for the NMDA receptor is very similar to the nonlinearity of the feedforward layer. Input-output graphs based on magnesium concentration (α) show nonlinear changes in NMDA receptors.Credit: Basic Science Research Institute

Brain learning mechanism applied to AI

The key to powerful AI systems is understanding how they learn and remember information. The research team focused on the learning principles of the human brain, particularly memory consolidation via the NMDA receptors in the hippocampus, and applied them to the AI ​​model.

NMDA receptors are like smart doors in the brain that facilitate learning and memory formation. The presence of a brain chemical called glutamate excites nerve cells. Magnesium ions, on the other hand, act as small gatekeepers that block the door. Only when this ionic gatekeeper steps aside can substances flow into the cell. This is the process by which the brain creates and retains memories, and the role of the gatekeeper (magnesium ions) in the whole process is very specific.

AI models that mimic human brain processes

The research team made an interesting discovery. The Transformer model appears to use a gatekeeping process similar to the brain’s NMDA receptors. [see Figure 1]. This discovery led the researchers to investigate whether the consolidation of Transformer memories could be controlled by a mechanism similar to the NMDA receptor gating process.

In animal brains, low magnesium levels are known to impair memory function. Researchers have discovered that mimicking NMDA receptors can improve long-term memory in transformers. Similar to the brain, where changes in magnesium levels affect memory, tweaking the transformer parameters to reflect NMDA receptor gating improved memory in the AI ​​model. This breakthrough suggests that established knowledge from neuroscience can explain how AI models learn.

Expert insights on AI and neuroscience

“This research is an important step in the advancement of AI and neuroscience,” said C. Justin Lee, the institute’s director and neuroscientist. This will allow us to delve deeper into how the brain works and develop more advanced AI systems based on these insights.

CHA Meeyoung is a data scientist on the team.
kaist
says, “The human brain is remarkable in that it operates on minimal energy, unlike large-scale AI models that require vast amounts of resources. It opens up new possibilities for low-cost, high-performance AI systems that learn and remember information.”

Fusion of cognitive mechanisms and AI design

What makes this work unique is its commitment to incorporating brain-inspired nonlinearity into AI structures, representing a significant advance in simulating human-like memory consolidation. The fusion of human cognitive mechanisms and AI design not only enables the creation of low-cost and high-performance AI systems, but also provides valuable insights into the workings of the brain through AI models.

Source: scitechdaily.com