In 1919, a student at the University of Cambridge had an extra ticket to a lecture being given by an astronomer who had just returned from a trip off the west coast of Africa where he observed the stars and a solar eclipse.Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, then 19 years old and an undergraduate student, took the extra ticket. The lecture changed her life and inspired her to become an astronomer. “For three nights, I think, I did not sleep,” she later wrote.In turn, Payne-Gaposchkin changed astron ...read more
"That's so random" is a common saying people use when they see or experience something unexpected. But as a concept in physics, true mathematical randomness has long proven elusive — until now. A team of computer scientists using quantum computing methods has, for the first time, generated a truly random number, they report in the journal Nature.By now you’re asking yourself, what is “true randomness,” anyway? Doesn’t choosing a number between, say, one and a trillion, count as truly r ...read more
(A) Ventral view of the mandible and associated skull elements. (B) Mandible and skull elements labeled. (C) Left lateral view of the mandible. Abbreviations: an, angular; art, articular; d, dentary; j, jugal; R. mx, right maxilla; L. mx, left maxilla; p, palatine; R. pm, right premaxilla; sp, splenial; s.r., symphyseal ridge; sur, surangular.
(Image Credit: Klaus Nilkens/Urwelt-Museum Hauff/Marx et al.)After making a splash in early 2025 with the identification of its 183-million-year-old fossi ...read more
Early warning systems for natural disasters have undoubtedly saved countless lives. Detectors that monitor signs of impending earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes, among others, provide crucial hours — sometimes days — for us to take evasive action.What if we could do the same thing for heart attacks? A group of French researchers working with some U.S. colleagues, have designed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that could help do just that, they report in the European Heart Journal.Ear ...read more
Sweetened vanilla, calming lavender, or fragrant jasmine and lotus may fill your home with enticing aromas. But new research shows that the supposed stress-reducing and mood-enhancing effects of scented products may come with unwanted indoor pollution.“While these products are widely used to create a cozy atmosphere, their emissions can impact indoor air quality, especially in spaces with limited ventilation,” says Nusrat Jung, a civil engineer at Purdue University.Jung became interested in ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine