TIZER'S SCIENCE NEWS

[Tizer]

As you were writing your post I was adding more to mine on a separate topic of as shown above.

[Whyperion]

The biggest puzzle about the Sun is this:
The hottest part of the Sun is its core, where temperatures top 15 million °C. The part of the Sun we call its surface – the photosphere – is a relatively cool 5,500 °C. In one of the Sun’s biggest mysteries, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, gets hotter the farther it stretches from the surface. The corona reaches up to 2 million °C, much, much hotter than the photosphere.
That paragraph is from this NASA web page which is worth reading... NASA: Our Sun

Superheated Gases ? The surface may appear cooler, as universe is close to absolute zero so that may affect heat but the composition of the corona probably allows for a different combustion of hydrogen or futher nuclear fisson occuring?

Meanwhile Trump's apparent biomed funding elimination, presumably its either going to privatise research, or give an opportunity EU countries, I doubt if UK can afford the investment in universities or elsewhere so no place for us

[Stanley]

I've read your edited post Peter and I believe the writers at the New Scientist could be right. Everything is connected!

[Whyperion]

Back to the BBC which has BBC Inside Science looks at US Science Research , which appears to be rapidly at university etc level falling off a cliff (unless paid for by commerce for its own (unchecked) ends.


Adding a thought . At one time the BBC Science had Medicine Now and Science Now as main programs, there seems to have been a reduction in output other than sciency bits covered in "dumbed down" programmes like The Infinite Monkey Cage, programs which I cannot listen to as the cross banter seems to get in the way of the story - anyone else have that problem

I had forgotten the Tuesday Morning Radio 4 "The Life Scientific" interesting as the person was from Eqypt and became pioneering in heart surgery , interesting because it covered the sucesses and the failures and the willingness to investigate both to find out what worked and why things didnt. Also interesting to me because the UK gave space to a foreign national to be part of the NHS and research teams , so many times we may wish to reject such if we become isolationists and too our wars rob us of potential of people to benefit humanity.

Followed by Inside Health looking at feet and shoes mainly today ( shades of thought as to why our shoes are so bad in the marketplace)

[Tizer]

Go to World Service podcasts and find `Science in Action' presented by Roland Pease. It's much better than `Inside Science'. RP has more and longer experience, highly regarded by scientists themselves and can talk their talk. He's been running updates on the bird flu epidemic in the US for a year or so now while no-one here was taking much notice. It's moved into other animals there, including humans.

[Stanley]

I listen to World Service every morning an d you're right Peter, it's far better than R4 for serious programmes.

[Tizer]

`AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years' BBC

[Whyperion]

`AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years' BBC

You beat me to it.
It has confused me with respect to the report muddling Bacteria (TB) and Viruses. Though we know Bacteria mop up virus strings and use them for all kinds of things including protein changes and keys to other cells and presumably repelation or consumption of chemicals etc from fugus or other things that would consume the bacteria - T-Cells and similar things in the Blood etc of animals and I guess similar in plants.

Aside from that HOW did the Google AI program effectively "Binary Sift" the research data in the wild to come up with the three suggestions ( presumably like me but better ) and the fourth suggestion, and indeed this is a suggestion not a proven mechanism. More particularly anything in theroetical chemistry or biology including experiemental observations as well that has been published can be trawled and quoted depending how the output of the AI program is structure and one has to suspect the phrases used by the reseachers in any web communications must have been captured specifically by Google if you use its services - which is in its terms of service I believe. So I dont think it is wholly original from the AI program.

[Stanley]

I heard that report Peter.... A worrying sign of things to come?

[Whyperion]

AI and Science Journals
Again BBC Inside Science mentions this. There are a few issues. AI Generated Images - which should be declared as such, are they in any way "accurate"- in scale and so on ?
AI Generated Content - this can be difficult for even experts to review
AI Peer Review - actually a well trained computer model might well help sift the sheer number of papers for review into some key areas of compare, contrast and critique. (I wonder can AI spot lies ?)

I asked CoPilot
AI can assist in the peer review process of scientific papers, but it doesn't replace human reviewers. AI tools can help by:

Checking for grammar and spelling errors
Detecting plagiarism
Analyzing data and statistics for accuracy
Highlighting potential ethical issues
Summarizing key findings and providing suggestions for improvement

However, human reviewers are still essential for evaluating the quality of the research, understanding the context, and providing nuanced feedback. AI can be a helpful assistant, but it can't fully replicate the expertise and judgment of human scientists.

[Whyperion]

Nuclear Batteries ?
Nuclear batteries have been hailed for their potential to generate electricity for decades without the need for charging or maintenance.

The breakthrough battery, built by researchers at Ohio State University, works by taking ambient gamma radiation from spent nuclear fuel and converting it to light via scintillator crystals. This light is then converted into electricity through solar cells.

“We’re harvesting something considered as waste and by nature, trying to turn it into treasure,” said Raymond Cao, a professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State University, who led the research.

The battery does not incorporate radioactive materials, meaning it is safe to touch, however it is not being developed for public use. Instead, the researchers said they envisioned the batteries being used on nuclear systems for space and deep sea exploration.

[Whyperion]

Daily Telegraph via MSN Newsfeed

A £300 brainwave machine that reads a person’s thoughts could allow communication using the power of imagination.

Patients with motor neurone disease (MND) and other degenerative conditions can be unable to communicate due to being unable to move any part of their body, including their eyes.
For these “locked-in” individuals it is currently impossible to send any messages to other people.
Dr Amin Al-Habaibeh, professor of intelligent engineering systems at Nottingham Trent University, began researching the issue after his brother-in-law, Naeem Radwan, was diagnosed with MND and given just six months to live. He died at the age of 38.

Previous attempts to communicate with thoughts alone have struggled to decode the complex patterns and instructions, so Prof Al-Habaibeh took a different approach and tried to harness the power of imagination.
The types of brainwaves created when thinking about being in a room with an elephant, for example, are extremely different to those made when thinking about kicking a football.
A 2023 study used these examples, as well as doing simple maths, imagining walking on a sandy beach and smelling a rotten egg, and found the technology works. Each imagination means a specific answer, such as yes or no, and allows for simple communication.

The technology uses electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors stuck to a person’s head to determine which of five things a person is thinking about with between 80 and 100 per cent accuracy. The lower bound of reliability increases to 87.5 per cent for four possibilities, and 100 per cent for three or two.

Healthy people tested the technology, with the brainwaves processed using an artificial intelligence platform.

Now, Prof Al-Habaibeh has created a cheaper and simpler working prototype with cheap components available off the shelf, with the total cost being just £300.

The proof-of-concept was trained on two different answers, the elephant and the football to mean yes and no, and uses just three electrodes which are placed on the scalp.
Prof Al-Habaibeh named the device RAD1. It stands for Responsive Assisted Dialogue (RAD) – the 1 is to denote it being the first demonstration of the technology. //


Interesting - so is every persons brainwave the same for an Elephant or a Football ? (logic of a computer drawing these would suggest yes)

[Whyperion]

Any further info on the reports of Asprin to cure (Some) cancers? Apparently by thinning the blood allowing T-Cells to get around more to latch onto faulty cancerous cells and kill them.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the latest moon landing.
A private spacecraft that landed lopsided on the Moon does not have enough power to complete its mission, says the company Intuitive Machines. Athena touched down on the lunar South Pole shortly after 1730GMT (1230EST) on Thursday, but it later was revealed the craft had landed on its side. It was supposed to spend 10 days searching for water ice, but the position of its solar panels and the cold temperatures of the rocky region mean it cannot recharge. Intuitive Machines partnered with US space agency Nasa to explore whether humans can live on the Moon.
As my friend Ethel used to say.... "It ain't easy!"

[Whyperion]

I read that fish with microplastics in their brains (And presumably elsewhere) are able to rid themselves of them if in clean clear plastic free water for about 6months. So thats ok , just got to find some clean water with no microplastics on the ocean floor either for the bottom feeders.

[Stanley]

At last! See THIS BBC report on the return of the two stranded astronauts.
SpaceX has launched a rocket carrying a new crew to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a plan to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home. The pair were due to be on the ISS for only eight days, but because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft they came on, they have been there for more than nine months. The astronauts are due to begin their journey back to Earth two days after the new crew arrives. Steve Stich, manager of Nasa's commercial crew programme said he was delighted at the prospect. "Butch and Suni have done a great job and we are excited to bring them back," he said.

[PanBiker]

The difficult bit is not necessarily getting a spacecraft up to them although it is difficult enough. The more complicated bit is getting them back down through the very narrow re-entry window so they don't burn up. It ain't over until it's over.

[Whyperion]

Scientists turn light into a 'supersolid' for the 1st time ever Thats a website that could lead to large rabbit holes. Anyway its getting close to quantum mechanics when things do funny things . Supersolids need bascially pressure and extreme cold to more become "super liquids" with no internal friction. Basically Solids dont move . liquids do. There is a border where super ones seem to move but very slowly. The light isnt even full-on light ( and If I recall I think we still dont know EXaCTLY what light is )
Polaritons are formed by coupling photons (light) and quasiparticles like excitons through strong electromagnetic interactions. Their properties allow them to condense to the lowest possible energy state in a similar way to some atomic gases. In other words, light is coupled with matter, and together, they can be condensed into a supersolid.

The article suggests this could be useful maybe in computing but I am not sure. maybe in five years time some institute will have come up with a useful idea . Pity Einstein isnt around these days.

[Stanley]

See THIS
2 hours ago
Across the globe more and more Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are being spotted on – and off – the roads. This is despite predictions from the United Nations of an inevitable pivot towards smaller and more environmentally friendly vehicles because of the urgency of the climate crisis and the rising cost of living. That pivot has not materialised: globally, 54% of the cars sold in 2024 were SUVs, including petrol, diesel, hybrids and electric makes. This is an increase of three percentage points from 2023 and five percentage points from the year before, according to GlobalData. Of the SUVs which are now on the road – both new and older models – 95% are burning fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Manufacturers, however, say their new fleets of such cars are increasingly becoming electric, and that not all SUVs now being sold cause an increase in emissions.

[Whyperion]

Bring back the Hillman Hunter (oddly one of the cars whose engine was unleaded ready due to being tested and developed in conditions in Sweden from memory) I just wish 1960s cars had been built with more resilience against rust.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on some current research into 'Dark Energy'.
5 hours ago
The mysterious force called Dark Energy, which drives the expansion of the Universe, might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space, scientists have found. Some of them believe that they may be on the verge of one of the biggest discoveries in astronomy for a generation - one that could force a fundamental rethink. This early-stage finding is at odds with the current theory which was developed in part by Albert Einstein. More data is needed to confirm these results, but even some of the most cautious and respected researchers involved in the study, such as Prof Ofer Lahav, from University College London, are being swept up by the mounting evidence. "It is a dramatic moment," he told BBC News. "We may be witnessing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe." The discovery of Dark Energy in 1998 was in itself shocking. Up until then the view had been that after the Big Bang, which created the Universe, its expansion would slow down under the force of gravity. But observations by US and Australian scientists found that it was actually speeding up. They had no idea what the force driving this was, so they gave it a name signifying their lack of understanding - Dark Energy.
As fast as we seem to have got an understanding, new research comes along that seems to indicate we were wrong! Steven Hawking would have loved this!

[Whyperion]

Did I see it correctly that there is ideas of experimenting with temperatures negatively below 0degK or absolute zero ?

[Stanley]

See THIS report for a striking story of what science can do....
Susan was no more than puzzled when she saw the first results from her home DNA testing kit. Now a woman in her mid 70s, she had never known much about her grandfather, and paid for the private test to see if it threw up anything unusual. "I did notice there was a lot of Irish heritage, which as far as I knew was wrong," she says. "But I just pushed it aside and didn't think any more of it. I stopped paying for my subscription and that was that." Except it very much wasn't. It took another six years for Susan - not her real name - to realise everything she knew about her family history was wrong. She later found out that back in the 1950s, she had been swapped at birth for another baby girl in a busy NHS maternity ward. Her case is now the second of its type uncovered by the BBC. Lawyers say they expect more to come forward driven by the boom in cheap genetic testing and ancestry websites.
The full story is worth reading. I have always disliked these sites that sell access to DNA testing because they keep your data and it can become public. However, in this case that attribute served a useful purpose!

[Stanley]

See Politics Corner for Robert F Kennedy's reverse ferret on the MMR jab in the face of the Texas measles outbreak.

[Stanley]

See THIS earth shattering news.... Not!