Cool Science thread

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Originally Posted by jono

That's very cool. If all stars generate a magnetic tunnel that attenuates radio frequency radiation it would have interesting implications for Fermi's paradox. If this is somehow unique the implications might be even weirder.

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Was that suggested somewhere in the paper? Attenuation might be one thing, refraction another, but afaik.astronomers haven't had problem logging in very distant radio emitters, like over 13b light years away?
Not a astrogeezer, just coincidentally overheard part of a lecture/discussion about Fermi/Drake/AI/GreatFilter/etc the other day. There was an interesting proposition regarding singularity (AI) and SI. That led to the notion that a civilisation attaining singularity might go "dark": as it does not need to expand to other systems/galaxies due to energy independence, it might just resort to a local simulation. In short, why travel when you can continue an indefinite existence expanding inwards instead of outwards? Only when a star system would be compromised that "entity" could split/move to other viable systems...or stay out of star systems altogether.

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Originally Posted by Meathelmet

Was that suggested somewhere in the paper? Attenuation might be one thing, refraction another, but afaik.astronomers haven't had problem logging in very distant radio emitters, like over 13b light years away?
Not a astrogeezer, just coincidentally overheard part of a lecture/discussion about Fermi/Drake/AI/GreatFilter/etc the other day. There was an interesting proposition regarding singularity (AI) and SI. That led to the notion that a civilisation attaining singularity might go "dark": as it does not need to expand to other systems/galaxies due to energy independence, it might just resort to a local simulation. In short, why travel when you can continue an indefinite existence expanding inwards instead of outwards? Only when a star system would be compromised that "entity" could split/move to other viable systems...or stay out of star systems altogether.

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I didn't see any mention of it in there, and certainly "implications" are easier than conclusions. We're obviously not living in a giant Faraday cage or anything, but thinking of SETI, it might not take much to tweak really, really long distance radio waves. If the model could be improved until the effects could be backed out (or if that's proven necessary, whether it's possible or not) it might change a lot of older data. Considering how close it might be, maybe SETI data might become useful in such efforts--eventually? Interesting stuff, anyway.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021...ll-done-steak/

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Originally Posted by ::: :::

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021...ll-done-steak/

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That knife didn't really cut that steak. More like it just pulled it apart. While an interesting concept that video certainly didn't convince me.

This pig-human kidney thing really needs video to be fully appreciated

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/doctor...-transplant/#x

Amazing science. Amazing contribution from the family.

penguin mummies...

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...ica-180975965/

https://spinlaunch.com

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...per-atmosphere

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Originally Posted by ::: :::

https://spinlaunch.com

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...per-atmosphere

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That looks like a cool concept for low cost launches. I'm guessing the payloads may be limited to some extent as they would have to be designed to withstand huge amounts of centrifugal force as they are spun around at 1000's of mph.

That's nutty!

Ummm ....

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Originally Posted by huckbucket

Ummm ....

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That's getting freaky. The first one of these I saw seemed well left of the uncanny valley. I'm wondering how long before they start asking each other about mortality.

Part cool, part terrifying:

Scientists Build the First-Ever Living Robots That Can Reproduce
https://scitechdaily.com/xenobots-sc...can-reproduce/

https://scitechdaily.com/images/Xenobot-Parents.gif

Seriously.
I'm fine with AI overlords, but FUCK NO to BioBot overlords.

I'm glad to see some of them turn right. For a minute it looked like they'd invented nano-NASCAR. That would be sad.

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Originally Posted by jono

That's very cool. If all stars generate a magnetic tunnel that attenuates radio frequency radiation it would have interesting implications for Fermi's paradox. If this is somehow unique the implications might be even weirder.

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Over a month later I still have no real clue what this means.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Part cool, part terrifying:

Scientists Build the First-Ever Living Robots That Can Reproduce
https://scitechdaily.com/xenobots-sc...can-reproduce/

https://scitechdaily.com/images/Xenobot-Parents.gif

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Maybe that's how we came to exist, invented in a lab by some reptile in a lab coat. It would explain a lot.

There's a UVM connection with that research. Which is interesting, because a different [and since former] CS faculty member was not very keen on self replicating nanobots and assigned a lot of articles about the dangers of them during Senior Seminar for my CS degree. 22 years ago. The "grey goop" theory of how the world would end. Now they've gone and done it.

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Originally Posted by riser3

There's a UVM connection with that research. Which is interesting, because a different [and since former] CS faculty member was not very keen on self replicating nanobots and assigned a lot of articles about the dangers of them during Senior Seminar for my CS degree. 22 years ago. The "grey goop" theory of how the world would end. Now they've gone and done it.

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We keep plodding away at ensuring our own demise :)

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Originally Posted by ötzi

Over a month later I still have no real clue what this means.

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I think in about a month I won't know, either.

But at the time I was thinking the magnetic tunnel thing might alter incoming radio waves--it shouldn't take a lot to turn a signal into noise. In which case SETI's failure to find the aliens with radio telescopes might have alternate explanations. Maybe the answer to Fermi's paradox is "the tunnel's hiding them."

Gotcha. Although I think it's more likely that they're hiding themselves.

Good point. And if the tunnel is worth a damn it might make that super easy.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Part cool, part terrifying:

Scientists Build the First-Ever Living Robots That Can Reproduce
https://scitechdaily.com/xenobots-sc...can-reproduce/

https://scitechdaily.com/images/Xenobot-Parents.gif

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So that's how chicken mcnuggets are made

https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa...-space-2021-12

Fueled and ready. Can't wait to see the pics!!!

It's finally there. This could have hudge impacts
https://apnews.com/article/science-b...%20Subscribers

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona.

Scientists announced the news Tuesday during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

The Parker Solar Probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists said it took a few months to get the data back and then several more months to confirm.

“Fascinatingly exciting,” said project scientist Nour Raouafi of Johns Hopkins University.

Launched in 2018, Parker was 8 million miles (13 million kilometers) from the center of the sun when it first crossed the jagged, uneven boundary between the solar atmosphere and outgoing solar wind. The spacecraft dipped in and out of the corona at least three times, each a smooth transition, according to scientists.

^ very cool.








and... Webb launches in 8 days!!

"Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun."

-M. Burns

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Originally Posted by Norseman

and... Webb launches in 8 days!!

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Ohboyohboyohboyohboy

I can't imagine how nervous that team will be as the engines fire up.

Not really that cool or impressive, none the less…

Visiting family members in Oak Ridge Tennessee this weekend, one family member was cleaning out old possessions and brought a number old watches for anyone that wanted one.

He mentioned one of them used to glow in the dark. Immediately my nerd brother in law perks up, he’s in R&D at Oak Ridge.

He describes to us all how they used to used Radium to illuminate watches and proceeds to run home to grab his geiger counter.

I’m pretty sure he keeps his college era counter as a retro demonstration device, but it was cool to see it work. He’s active in scouts and the local school district so of course he had props.

After demonstrating the radioactivity of fiestaware and coleman lantern mantles it was proven that the watch was indeed radioactive. Not like melt your face but you wouldn’t want to lick it type radioactive.

I’ve seen geiger counters in movies, but was today years old before I saw one in person.

Attachment 397382

Attachment 397383

#karens

They painted the radium on those watches and the workers would lick their brushes to keep a nice sharp tip. If you want to see how that worked out for them do an image search for "radium mouth."

"Ötzi and the Radium Mouths" would be a good name for a band.

People would butcher the pronunciation.

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Originally Posted by ötzi

People would butcher the pronunciation.

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Butchering pronunciation is what happens when you have radium mouth.

Does this band only play instrumentals or what?

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Originally Posted by ötzi

Does this band only play instrumentals or what?

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Surf instrumentals, as you might hear on the beach at Three Mile Island or while catching waves on a Fukushima tsunami.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

They painted the radium on those watches and the workers would lick their brushes to keep a nice sharp tip. If you want to see how that worked out for them do an image search for "radium mouth."

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Osteonecrosis of the mandible sounds like a pretty awful way to die.

https://mesonstars.com/space/bootes-...ith-few-stars/

My favorite explanation;
"And obviously, the alien factor could not be missing, with a Type III supercivilization on the Kardashev scale expanding through a vacuum, absorbing energy from nearby galaxies."

This is cool. Who knows if it will ever by viable, but it's exciting if they could make it work.

https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.am...92348.html?amp

"Scientists have developed a biologically-inspired membrane that could quintuple the charge capacity of electric car batteries, thereby massively increasing their range."

Tongan undersea volcano erupts

https://mobile.twitter.com/US_Stormw...pacific-island