Category: Quantum Stuff

Catching Fish with Ancient Archaeology and Ocean Tides

[CLIP: Theme music] Rachel Feltman: What do you think of when you hear the word “archaeology”? Maybe your mind goes straight to Indiana Jones. Or perhaps you picture real-world academics in the field—ones who handle their dusty desert dig sites and crumbling artifacts with far more care. But studying how ancient humans lived and died… Continue reading Catching Fish with Ancient Archaeology and Ocean Tides

Grad Students Find Inevitable Patterns in Big Sets of Numbers

Forty years later, in 1975, a mathematician named Endre Szemerédi proved the conjecture. His work spawned multiple lines of research that mathematicians are still exploring today. “Many of the ideas from his proof grew into worlds of their own,” said Yufei Zhao, Sah and Sawhney’s doctoral adviser at MIT. Mathematicians have built on Szemerédi’s result… Continue reading Grad Students Find Inevitable Patterns in Big Sets of Numbers

Physicists Pinpoint the Quantum Origin of the Greenhouse Effect

In 1896, the Swedish physicist Svante Arrhenius realized that carbon dioxide (CO2) traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere — the phenomenon now called the greenhouse effect. Since then, increasingly sophisticated modern climate models have verified Arrhenius’ central conclusion: that every time the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere doubles, Earth’s temperature will rise between 2 and 5… Continue reading Physicists Pinpoint the Quantum Origin of the Greenhouse Effect

Taylor Swift and Bach Can Thank Ancient Temples for Modern Music

Where did Western music come from? Most historical accounts credit composers with the first formations of simple tunes, which eventually led to “early music” and later classical music and the many popular forms that have since sprung up. But acoustic ecologists and musicologists have been talking lately about a different foundation: the earliest temples and… Continue reading Taylor Swift and Bach Can Thank Ancient Temples for Modern Music

How to See Stars, Satellites, and More in the Daytime Sky

How to See Stars, Satellites, and More in the Daytime Sky It’s possible to see celestial objects during the day, but it’s not always easy By Phil Plait It seems pretty obvious that you can’t see any stars in the daytime. If you were to say that to me, however, I would gently take you… Continue reading How to See Stars, Satellites, and More in the Daytime Sky

Honeybees Will Literally Slap Ants That Try to Invade Their Hive

Honeybees Wing-Slap Ants That Try to Invade Their Hive Japanese honeybees use their wings to slap back ants trying to invade their hive By Gennaro Tomma A Japanese honeybee uses its wing to slap a way an ant attempting to invade its hive. “Wing-Slapping: A Defensive Behavior by Honey Bees against Ants,” by Yugo Seko… Continue reading Honeybees Will Literally Slap Ants That Try to Invade Their Hive

Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Each Year

Extreme Heat Is the Deadliest Weather Disaster Hundreds of thousands of people die from extreme temperatures every year, more than any other type of weather disaster By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News People cool off at a fountain in the Madrid Rio park amid heatwave conditions in Madrid on July 23, 2024. July 21, 2024… Continue reading Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Each Year

The CDC’s Test for Bird Flu Works, but It Has Issues

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a glitch in its bird flu test hasn’t harmed the agency’s outbreak response. But it has ignited scrutiny of its go-it-alone approach in testing for emerging pathogens. The agency has quietly worked since April to resolve a nagging issue with the test it developed, even as the… Continue reading The CDC’s Test for Bird Flu Works, but It Has Issues