Live Science: 1st black hole to be imaged is spewing lightsaber energy jets larger than the Milky Way, and scientists think they know why
Landgeist: Economic Freedom Index of Europe
Phys.org: Scientists create artificial protein capable of degrading microplastics in bottles
The Marginalian: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking (2014)
The kit is brought out as a matter of course whenever new ideas are offered for consideration. If the new idea survives examination by the tools in our kit, we grant it warm, although tentative, acceptance. If you’re so inclined, if you don’t want to buy baloney even when it’s reassuring to do so, there are precautions that can be taken; there’s a tried-and-true, consumer-tested method.
1000-Word Philosophy: The Philosophy of Humor: What Makes Something Funny? (2022)
Spektrum.de: Überzeugen: Wie man Kompetenz zeigt, ohne angeberisch zu wirken
Nature: AI ‘breakthrough’: neural net has human-like ability to generalize language
A neural-network-based artificial intelligence outperforms ChatGPT at quickly folding new words into its lexicon, a key aspect of human intelligence.
Spektrum.de: Aggressive RNA bedroht Hopfenanbau in Deutschland
Phys.org: Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans
Humans can only withstand certain combinations of heat and humidity before their bodies begin to experience heat-related health problems, such as heat stroke or heart attack. As climate change pushes temperatures higher around the world, billions of people could be pushed beyond these limits.
RealClear Science: The Smartest Person Who Ever Lived
Nobody doubts that Isaac Newton was an intelligent man, but he also exhibited in spades the two other characteristics outlined above: knowledge and creativity.
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Sadly, despite his fame, Isaac Newton led a very lonely life. His incomparable brilliance came at a hefty cost; his reclusive and anti-social nature strongly suggest that he was autistic, and his obsessive and disagreeable nature suggest mental illness, perhaps obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ars Technica: Einstein right again: Antimatter falls “down” due to gravity like ordinary matter
CERN's ALPHA experiment confirms matter and antimatter react to gravity in a similar way.
Scientific American: The Equinox Is Not What You Think It Is
On Saturday, September 23, at 6:50 A.M. UTC (2:50 A.M. EDT or 11:50 P.M. Friday PDT), the sun will be directly over Earth’s equator, which is how astronomers define the equinox.
Aeon: We are not empty
The concept of the atomic void is one of the most repeated mistakes in popular science. Molecules are packed with stuff
The empty atom picture is likely the most repeated mistake in popular science. It is unclear who created this myth, but it is sure that Carl Sagan, in his classic TV series Cosmos (1980), was crucial in popularising it. After wondering how small the nuclei are compared with the atom, Sagan concluded that
[M]ost of the mass of an atom is in its nucleus; the electrons are by comparison just clouds of moving fluff. Atoms are mainly empty space. Matter is composed chiefly of nothing.
Reuters: Germany plans to double AI funding in race with China, U.S.
The AI push comes as Germany attempts to turn around its economy from a recession while the country's key autos and chemicals industries face stiff competition from upstart electric-vehicle makers and high energy costs.
Aufbau, Funktion und Aufgabe des CMS-Detektors am CERN
Der CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) ist einer der beiden Detektoren, die gemeinsam den Nachweis des Higgs-Bosons ermöglicht haben und ist eine dieser gigantischen Strukturen 100m unter der Erde am CERN and dem die vom LHC beschleunigten Teilchen untersucht werden.
Wie schon in den ersten beiden Raumzeit-Folgen der CERN-Serie ist der Gesprächspartner wieder ein Österreicher: Wolfgang Adam vom Institut für Hochenergiephysik.