PHYSICS & MATH

Bouncing Philae Takes Award for Breakthrough of the Year

SPACE It’s no big surprise that this year when reporters and editors of the journal Physics World came together to award the top-10 revolutionary breakthroughs of the year, that the team would have many breakthroughs to consider for the year of 2014. And though perhaps not necessarily the most technically successful mission this year, on account of the vast distances between Earth and itself as well as it bouncy landing, the team narrowed down the prospective list down to one to name the November 12, 2014 touchdown of the Philae Lander to be the most historic moment of the year.

Strange Andromeda Transmission May be First Sign of Dark Matter

While the ever elusive “dark matter” was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the early 1930s, a team of European scientists this week believe that they may have detected the first ever evidence of dark matter in mysterious photo emissions of the X-ray spectra, emitting from the Andromeda galaxy, the Draco dwarf galaxy, and other galactic clusters far outside our own solar system.

A Historian’s Paradise—Albert Einstein Archives Continue to Grow

Often referred to in academic circles as the Dead Sea Scrolls of physics, the remaining letters and writings of revered scientist Albert Einstein have been a major feat for archiving since Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem inherited over 80,000 documents the late physicist wrote in 1986. But in spite of the sheer volume of works he left behind, that could be enough to overwhelm the senses, researchers over the past two decades have dedicated their lives and their careers to telling the true story behind the scientist’s brilliant brain.

E=MC^2 Wasn’t His Only Thought—New Archive Reveals Einstein’s Love and Laughter

Albert Einstein was undoubtedly a scientist not of his era. But in spite of his very public persona, living his life in the limelight, many are still not exactly sure who the man was behind the science. Living a life as exciting as his discoveries in the field of physics, Einstein is a man of many mysteries. And who better to divulge the secrets than the mad scientist himself?

Albert Einstein Archive Sparks Even More Reasons to Love the Man Behind the Theory—E=MC^2

There’s a point in nearly every individual’s life when they come to realize that their idol is nothing if not human beneath their perfect façade. And for some it’s a tragic state of affairs that reveals this shocking truth. But for others, it’s a sobering revelation that creates a tangible connection between them and their idol. If you’re a fan of genius Albert Einstein, and you’ve even got his haircut to match, this week you will be surprised to learn that you’ll have over 80,000 more reasons to idolize the beloved scientist, including perhaps a love letter or two that reveal a bit of a playboy side to the rebellious physicist. Released beginning this past Friday, Dec. 5, the Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whom inherited Albert Einstein’s vast written history in the form of some 80,000 documents he left behind, have digitized what is left of Einstein’s written words in a new online archive called “Digital Einstein”.

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Adds Two New Subatomic Particles to the List

There’s an art in the science of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. It’s not simply a method for smashing atoms together, but rather it’s a uniquely painstaking process that can reveal some of the smallest hidden secrets our world has to offer. And while the particles that CERN researchers are studying may be smaller than the smallest atom, by bringing to light quantifiably distinct particles only often thought of in physical theory courses, the discovery of every new particle is a large step forward for the advancements of mankind’s science.

CERN May Not Have Found Higgs Boson, But They Found A New Director-General

While earlier this week news surrounded a presumptuous theory that researchers at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in fact had not discovered the elusive Higgs Boson particle as they claimed in 2012, news from the people behind the discovery announced that the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) anticipates an even brighter future with a new Director-General at its helm. Selected at the 173rd closed session held earlier this month, Italian physicist Dr. Fabiola Gianotti will begin her five-year mandate starting on January 1st, 2016.

The Man Behind the Theorem—CERN Artwork Pays Homage to John Stuart Bell

Coming off the toes of Nov. 10 World Science Day for Peace and Development, established by UNESCO in 2001, CERN announced this week that an exhibition held in Belfast, Ireland may reveal another view of famed physicist John Stewart Bell’s extraordinary career. The exhibition entitled Action at a Distance: The Life and Legacy of John Stuart Bell celebrates the 50th anniversary of Bell’s famous theorem that revolutionized the field of quantum theory, and reveals much more than the numbers and variables in the head of the man.

Could A Techni-Particle Save Us from the Universe’s Undoing?

In the preface to a new book entitled “Starmus”, published last month, Cambridge cosmologist Stephen Hawking said that if indeed the particle is the Higgs Boson, then CERN’s discovery could lead to the demise of the universe if its contents were to become unstable. But a new research analysis published this month in the journal Physical Review D, says that Hawking and the rest of the universe may need not fear, because the particle may in fact not be what it appears.

Could Large Hadron Collider Discovery Be Something Else? Researchers Look to Techni-Higgs Particles

The Higgs Boson particle has been at the center of theoretical physics debates for quite some time now, and while the elusive particle is conjectured to be at the center of every atom, giving them their mass, researchers have been hard-pressed to prove its existence. Last year, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) revealed that an anomaly discovered in the Large Hadron Collider when atoms were compounded together may have in fact been the Higgs Boson, however, new research says that they may have been mistaken. And the particle CERN found may very well be something entirely different.

Tractor Beam Tech is Now a Reality

Laser physicists at Australian National University have constructed a tractor beam that can both repel and attract objects, like a sort of shield-tractor beam combo.

The mathematics behind the Ebola epidemic

Researchers in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich have calculated new benchmark figures to precisely describe the Ebola epidemic in West Africa from a mathematical perspective. Their results may help health authorities to contain the epidemic.
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