Above: Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors? Do Cellular Phones (Cellphones And Mobile Phones) Give You Cancer?
Let’s end this age-old question once and for all: Is that cell phone in your pocket giving you cancer?
Author Archives: admin
Above: Design Your Own Baby – Should We Make Designer Babies?
If scientists can edit the human genome, should we do it? What are the pros and cons?
Above: Why Can’t We Remember Being Babies?
Why can’t we recall being born? It was kind of a big day, so you’d think we would remember. Anthony looks at how the inner workings of a baby’s brain differs from that of a full grown adult.
Above: What Are Gravitational Waves? Gravitational Waves For Dummies.
The very first gravitational wave has been detected by LIGO, proving Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Where did this gravitational wave come from and what does it mean for the future of space science and astronomy? This article discusses why this scientific discovery is so important, what it means for astronomy, and what’s next for the future of space science and astrophysics.
What Are Gravitational Waves?
Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime that propagate as waves, generated in certain gravitational interactions and traveling outward from their source. The possibility of gravitational waves was discussed in 1893 using the analogy between the inverse-square law in gravitation and electricity. Predicted in 1916 by Albert Einstein on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves transport energy as gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation. Gravitational waves cannot exist in the Newtonian theory of gravitation, since Newtonian theory postulates that physical interactions propagate at infinite speed.
Gravitational wave astronomy is an emerging branch of astronomy which aims to use gravitational waves to collect observational data about objects such as neutron stars and black holes, events such as supernovae, and processes including those of the early universe shortly after the Big Bang. Various gravitational-wave observatories (detectors) are under construction or in operation, such as the Advanced LIGO which began observations in September 2015.
Potential sources of detectable gravitational waves include binary star systems composed of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. On February 11, 2016 the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration teams announced that they had made the first observation of gravitational waves, originating from a pair of merging black holes using the Advanced LIGO detectors.
–
Introduction To Gravitational Waves:
In Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity is treated as a phenomenon resulting from the curvature of spacetime. This curvature is caused by the presence of mass. Generally, the more mass that is contained within a given volume of space, the greater the curvature of spacetime will be at the boundary of its volume. As objects with mass move around in spacetime, the curvature changes to reflect the changed locations of those objects. In certain circumstances, accelerating objects generate changes in this curvature, which propagate outwards at the speed of light in a wave-like manner. These propagating phenomena are known as gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves can penetrate regions of space that electromagnetic waves cannot. They are able to allow the observation of the merger of black holes and possibly other exotic objects in the distant Universe. Such systems cannot be observed with more traditional means such as optical telescopes or radio telescopes, and so gravitational wave astronomy gives new insights into the workings of the Universe. In particular, gravitational waves could be of interest to cosmologists as they offer a possible way of observing the very early Universe. Precise measurements of gravitational waves will also allow scientists to more thoroughly test the general theory of relativity.
Albert Einstein And His Search For Gravitational Waves
In 1916 Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves, ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagate as waves, traveling outward from the source, transporting energy as gravitational radiation. The first indirect detection of gravitational waves came in the 1970’s through observation of a pair of closely orbiting neutron stars. The explanation of the decay in their orbital period was that they were emitting gravitational waves. Albert Einstein’s prediction was confirmed on February 11, 2016 when researchers at LIGO published direct observation on Earth of gravitational waves, exactly one hundred years after the prediction by Albert Einstein.
Above: What Are Gravitational Waves? Why Should We Care About Gravitational Waves?
On Feb 11, 2016 scientists at LIGO announced that they had detected gravitational waves for the first time. In the press conference heard around the world, the LIGO scientists explained that two black holes had merged 1.3 billion light years away and had created waves that passed by the LIGO detectors and were finally heard. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of these waves in his 1915 theory of general relativity, but it took a long time for us to come up with the technology to detect them. For one thing, we had to invent lasers, so just in case you can’t tell, we are very excited about this great scientific discovery in astronomy and astrophysics.
–
What Is LIGO And Why Is LIGO So Important In Astronomy And Space Exploration?
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory that was created to detect gravitational waves. LIGO is a joint project among scientists from several colleges and universities. Scientists involved in the project and the analysis of the data for gravitational wave astronomy are organized by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration which includes more than 900 scientists from around the world.
LIGO is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), with important contributions from the United Kingdom Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Max Planck Society of Germany, and the Australian Research Council. LIGO is also the largest and most ambitious project ever funded by the National Science Foundation. Livingston Louisiana hosts one of the two LIGO gravitational wave detector sites, the other one being located in Hanford Washington. In September 2015, LIGO detected the first direct gravitational wave observation which was reported in February 2016.
Above: Is Young Blood The Secret To Eternal Youth?
As it turns out, young blood has some rejuvenating properties. Is it enough to keep you young forever?
Above: Can Anyone Own Outer Space?
Countries have been fighting for their stake in outer space since the 1950s, but who regulates space travel? And who owns space?
Above: The Secrets And Mysteries Of Quantum Mechanics And Quantum Physics.
What Is Quantum Mechanics And Quantum Physics?
Quantum mechanics (also known as quantum physics or quantum theory) is a fundamental branch of physics concerned with processes involving atoms and photons. Quantum physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. In the early 20th century, it was discovered that the laws that govern macroscopic objects do not function the same in such small realms.
What’s So Special About Quantum Mechanics And Quantum Physics?
In the realm of quantum physics, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Light waves act like particles and particles act like waves (called wave particle duality). Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space (called quantum tunnelling or tunneling) making information move instantly across vast distances. In fact, in quantum mechanics we discover that the entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Fortunately, it breaks down when dealing with larger objects, as demonstrated by the Schroedinger’s Cat thought experiment.
Above: How To Solve Organ Transplant Rejection Forever.
Above: What Your Hair Says About Your Health.
While crime dramas often depict detectives tracking down criminals using hair DNA, that’s not the only thing they can learn. What else can be revealed about you from a hair sample?
Above: What Is CRISPR & How Could It Edit Your DNA? The Gene Machine & What The CRISPR Experiments Mean For Humanity.
Gene editing tool CRISPR is everywhere in the news, but what is CRISPR and could it eliminate human diseases?
CRISPR: A Game Changing Genetic Engineering Technique
Have you heard? A revolution has seized the scientific community. Within only a few years, research labs worldwide have adopted a new technology that facilitates making specific changes in the DNA of humans, other animals, and plants.
A new technique that lets scientists edit DNA with ease is transforming science, and raising difficult questions. The DNA editing technique, known as CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), could revolutionize human gene therapy and genetic engineering because it allows scientists for the first time to make the finest changes to the DNA of human chromosomes with relative ease.
Above: What Is CRISPR & How Could It Edit Your DNA? The Gene Machine & What The CRISPR Experiments Mean For Humanity.
How CRISPR Edits DNA
Every cell in the body carries a copy of genetic code, a blueprint of who we are as humans. CRISPR allows scientists to edit that genetic code with more control than ever before in human history. First, the CRISPR molecule is programmed to search for specific sequences, like mutated ones that cause disease, among the 3 billion letters in the human DNA code. Once the mutation is found, CRISPR unzips the twisted DNA strands and cuts the targeted DNA sequence with its molecular scissors. The body can then repair itself on its own or scientists can patch in a corrected sequence. If done inside an egg, sperm, or embryonic cell, the changes will be passed on to future generations. Thus, with CRISPR, changes can be made more precisely and easily to practically any living thing.
Above: How To Change Our Own Genes: Epigenetics And Gene Manipulation (Genetic Manipulation).
It’s called epigenetics and according to new research, it can influence everything from a human’s weight to a small animal’s propensity to fall in love. And as Anthony tells us, small life changes actually give us control to how these genes are expressed.