Mathematicians have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geometry, solving a decades-old problem by identifying new shapes with constant width. The breakthrough was inspired by a 1986 space shuttle disaster, where physicist Richard Feynman discovered that the failure of O-ring seals was due to cold temperatures. The new shapes, including the Reuleaux triangle…
Science on The Soothsayer / page 25
A study in fruit flies has found that ibuprofen, a common over-the-counter pain reliever, may be a treatment for a rare genetic disease called MAN1B1-congenital disorder of glycosylation. The disease causes developmental delays, obesity, aggression, and distinctive facial features in children who inherit two faulty copies of the MAN1B1 gene. Preliminary results from a small…
A recent study has found that the global footprint of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has grown by about 35 percent between 2000 and 2020, reaching an area roughly the size of Mexico. This expansion raises the likelihood of human exposure to wildfires, posing greater threats to life and property. The WUI is particularly vulnerable to…
In a groundbreaking discovery, two independent studies have revealed that the brown dwarf Gliese 229 B is not a single object, but rather a pair of brown dwarfs. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of star formation and the existence of binary systems in the universe. The discovery was made possible by the…
Mathematicians have been studying groups, a fundamental concept in mathematics, for centuries. Groups are sets of objects with an operation that satisfies four rules: closure, associativity, identity, and inverse. This concept has far-reaching implications in various fields, from geometry and algebra to physics and cryptography. The study of groups has led to the discovery of…
Scientists at the European laboratory CERN have made a breakthrough in transporting a cloud of subatomic particles aboard a truck, using protons as a stand-in for their antimatter counterparts, antiprotons. This achievement brings them one step closer to hauling antimatter by motor vehicle, which could lead to a better understanding of the physics mystery surrounding…
Physicists in California have conducted field experiments that suggest intermittent bursts of embers play a significant role in the spread of wildfires. The research, which involved building a bonfire and tracking embers, has called into question previous fire models and highlights the need for more accurate predictions to prevent infrastructure damage and loss of life….
A mathematician from the University of Toronto, Daniel Litt, has been sharing probability puzzles on social media, captivating tens of thousands of people worldwide. His posts have sparked lively discussions among experts and non-experts alike, highlighting the limits of mathematical intuition and the counterintuitive nature of probabilistic reasoning. Forecast for 6 months: The popularity of…
A recent census of the cosmos has more than tripled the number of active black holes known to reside in miniature galaxies, with the biggest haul of middleweight black holes to date. The survey, which used early data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), observed nearly 1.5 million galaxies and found about 2,500 dwarf…
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of optical trapping. They have developed a miniature, chip-based optical trap that can capture and manipulate particles, including cells, at a distance of up to 5 millimeters from the chip surface. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize biological…