Physicists at CERN’s ALICE Collaboration have made a groundbreaking discovery, finding the first evidence for antihyperhelium-4, a heavier version of antihelium-4. This antimatter hypernucleus contains two antiprotons, an antineutron, and an antilambda baryon. The detection was made by analyzing data from lead nuclei collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland. This finding helps…
Science on The Soothsayer / page 12
Mathematicians have revisited an ancient puzzle known as the “kissing problem,” which was first contemplated by Isaac Newton and astronomer David Gregory in 1694. The problem involves arranging identical spheres around a central sphere without overlapping. After centuries of research, mathematicians have finally proven that the maximum number of spheres that can be arranged in…
Physicists at the University of Nottingham have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of magnetism by imaging altermagnets in detail for the first time. The team used a technique developed at the MAX IV international synchrotron facility in Sweden to map the magnetic domains in manganese telluride (MnTe) down to the nanoscale level. This…
A new book, “Shadows into Light,” by Theresa S. Betancourt, sheds light on the lives of children who were forced to fight in the civil war in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002. The book explores the factors that have helped some of these individuals recover and even thrive, highlighting the importance of family, community,…
Researchers at Stanford University have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of nanoelectronics. They have created very thin films of niobium phosphide, a non-crystalline topological semimetal, that conduct electricity better than copper, even in non-crystalline films. This breakthrough could aid the development of ultrathin low-resistivity wires for nanoelectronics applications, enabling the creation of smaller…
An international team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery in brain analysis, developing new techniques that consider interactions between three or more regions of the brain. This breakthrough could lead to a deeper understanding of human brain activity and potentially aid in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. The team’s approach combines topological…
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has released a report confirming that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with Earth’s average temperature exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. This milestone marks a significant increase in global temperatures, which have been rising since 1967. The report highlights multiple global records smashed in 2024,…
Physicists at Penn State and Columbia University have made a groundbreaking discovery, spotting the “smoking gun” signature of semi-Dirac fermions, a type of quasiparticle predicted by theorists 16 years ago. These quasiparticles exhibit a unique property, behaving like they have mass only when moving in a certain direction. The team used a crystal of the…
Unusually dry conditions and hurricane-force seasonal winds have fueled multiple fast-moving and destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County, forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate and killing at least two people. The blazes, driven by Santa Ana winds and high fuel loads, have burned over 6,400 hectares and destroyed around 1,000 structures. Climate scientists warn that…
A team of astronomers has discovered that Sun-like stars produce “superflares” around once every 100 years, which is a significant increase from previous estimates of every 3000 to 6000 years. This finding could have important implications for forecasting space weather and understanding the potential impact on Earth’s upper atmosphere, electrical grids, and radio communications. The…