Science on The Soothsayer / page 21

Scientists have discovered a radioactive anomaly in the deep ocean, which could be evidence of a previously unknown cosmic event or a major change in ocean circulation. The anomaly, which is made up of beryllium-10, was found in rocks located deep beneath the ocean and has a half-life of 1.4 million years. Researchers are now…

Astronomers have discovered that Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our sun, is likely shedding comets and asteroids into our solar system. This means that we can expect to see a small number of meteors from Alpha Centauri in the sky, with estimates suggesting up to 10 meteors per year. The objects are thought…

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding the role of mechanical forces in the development of an entire organism from a single cell. By studying the behavior of fruit fly epithelial tissue, the team has identified a power law that explains why the tissue stretches as…

Researchers from the UK, Germany, and the US have developed a quantum-inspired technique to simulate turbulent fluids in just a few hours, a significant improvement over classical algorithms that take several days. This breakthrough could advance our understanding of turbulence, a complex phenomenon found in weather patterns, water flows, and astrophysical phenomena. The new technique…

A team at the Trento Proton Therapy Centre in Italy has successfully delivered the first clinical treatments using proton arc therapy, a new proton delivery technique that overcomes the limitations of traditional pencil-beam scanning. The technique, which involves moving the beam in an arc trajectory, enables the optimization of the number of energies used for…

Astronomers have created the first weather map of the exoplanet WASP-127b, revealing brutal conditions with winds reaching speeds of up to 33,000 km/hr. The map was created by analyzing light transmitted through the planet’s atmosphere during a transit event. The study provides valuable insights into the planet’s atmosphere and wind patterns, which will aid in…

A recent study reveals that despite the massive rainfall in California in 2023, the state’s aquifers have barely been recharged due to decades of drought and human pumping. The research, led by William Ellsworth, used seismic waves to map the water infiltration in the aquifers, showing that only about 25% of the water lost since…

Researchers at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain have developed a “sneeze simulator” that uses a three-dimensional model of the nasal cavity to study how respiratory illnesses spread. The simulator can replicate different sneeze intensities and investigate how the nasal cavity affects aerosol cloud dispersion. This breakthrough could lead to improved predictive models for…

Scientists have discovered that a pure form of cellulose produced by bacteria can act as a plant bandage, significantly boosting healing and regeneration in plants. This breakthrough finding has potential implications for agriculture and plant research, with possible applications in facilitating grafting, preserving cut plant material, or serving as a growth medium in laboratories. Forecast…