Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Astronomers reveal a new link between water and planet formation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found water vapor in the disc around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on Earth, and is also thought to play a significant role in planet formation. Yet, until now, we had never been able to map how water is distributed in a stable, cool disc -- the type of disc that offers the most favorable conditions for planets to form around stars.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Astronomers discover heavy elements after bright gamma-ray burst from neutron star merger      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of astronomers obtained observational evidence for the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a cataclysmic explosion triggered by the merger of two neutron stars.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

'Cosmic lighthouses' that cleared primordial fog identified with JWST      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists working with data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have obtained the first full spectra of some of the earliest starlight in the universe. The images provide the clearest picture yet of very low-mass, newborn galaxies, created less than a billion years after the Big Bang, and suggest the tiny galaxies are central to the cosmic origin story.

Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

What math tells us about social dilemmas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Human coexistence depends on cooperation. Individuals have different motivations and reasons to collaborate, resulting in social dilemmas, such as the well-known prisoner's dilemma. Scientists now present a new mathematical principle that helps to understand the cooperation of individuals with different characteristics.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Metal scar found on cannibal star      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When a star like our Sun reaches the end of its life, it can ingest the surrounding planets and asteroids that were born with it. Now, researchers have found a unique signature of this process for the first time -- a scar imprinted on the surface of a white dwarf star.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Webb finds evidence for neutron star at heart of young supernova remnant      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has found the best evidence yet for emission from a neutron star at the site of a recently observed supernova. The supernova, known as SN 1987A, was a core-collapse supernova, meaning the compacted remains at its core formed either a neutron star or a black hole. Evidence for such a compact object has long been sought, and while indirect evidence for the presence of a neutron star has previously been found, this is the first time that the effects of high-energy emission from the probable young neutron star have been detected.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

A new beginning: The search for more temperate Tatooines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Luke Skywalker's childhood might have been slightly less harsh if he'd grown up on a more temperate Tatooine -- like the ones identified in a new study. According to the study's authors, there are more climate-friendly planets in binary star systems -- in other words, those with two suns -- than previously known. And, they say, it may be a sign that, at least in some ways, the universe leans in the direction of orderly alignment rather than chaotic misalignment.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Improving efficiency, reliability of AI medical summarization tools      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Medical summarization, a process that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to condense complex patient information, is currently used in health care settings for tasks such as creating electronic health records and simplifying medical text for insurance claims processing. While the practice is intended to create efficiencies, it can be labor-intensive, according researchers who created a new method to streamline the way AI creates these summaries, efficiently producing more reliable results.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Brightest and fastest-growing: Astronomers identify record-breaking quasar      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have characterized a bright quasar, finding it to be not only the brightest of its kind, but also the most luminous object ever observed. Quasars are the bright cores of distant galaxies and they are powered by supermassive black holes. The black hole in this record-breaking quasar is growing in mass by the equivalent of one Sun per day, making it the fastest-growing black hole to date.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Black hole at center of the Milky Way resembles a football      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way is spinning so quickly it is warping the spacetime surrounding it into a shape that can look like a football, according to a new study. That football shape suggests the black hole is spinning at a substantial speed, which researchers estimated to be about 60% of its potential limit.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling Physics: General
Published

Plasma scientists develop computer programs that could reduce the cost of microchips and stimulate American manufacturing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fashioned from the same element found in sand and covered by intricate patterns, microchips power smartphones, augment appliances and aid the operation of cars and airplanes. Now, scientists are developing computer simulation codes that will outperform current simulation techniques and aid the production of microchips using plasma, the electrically charged state of matter also used in fusion research. These codes could help increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process and potentially stimulate the renaissance of the chip industry in the United States.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Mathematics: Modeling Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Accelerating the discovery of single-molecule magnets with deep learning      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are exciting materials. In a recent breakthrough, researchers have used deep learning to predict SMMs from 20,000 metal complexes. The predictions were made solely based on the crystal structures of these metal complexes, thus eliminating the need for time-consuming experiments and complex simulations. As a result, this method is expected to accelerate the development of functional materials, especially for high-density memory and quantum computing devices.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Astronomers report oscillation of our giant, gaseous neighbor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A few years ago, astronomers uncovered one of the Milky Way's greatest secrets: an enormous, wave-shaped chain of gaseous clouds in our sun's backyard, giving birth to clusters of stars along the spiral arm of the galaxy we call home. Naming this astonishing new structure the Radcliffe Wave, the team now reports that the Radcliffe Wave not only looks like a wave, but also moves like one -- oscillating through space-time much like 'the wave' moving through a stadium full of fans.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Study identifies distinct brain organization patterns in women and men      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a powerful new artificial intelligence model that can distinguish between male and female brains.

Computer Science: General Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
Published

New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have developed a new chip that uses light waves, rather than electricity, to perform the complex math essential to training AI. The chip has the potential to radically accelerate the processing speed of computers while also reducing their energy consumption.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Nuclear Physics: General Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

New nuclei can help shape our understanding of fundamental science on Earth and in the cosmos      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In creating five new isotopes, scientists have brought the stars closer to Earth. The isotopes are known as thulium-182, thulium-183, ytterbium-186, ytterbium-187 and lutetium-190.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

A star like a Matryoshka doll: New theory for gravastars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If gravitational condensate stars (or gravastars) actually existed, they would look similar to black holes to a distant observer. Two theoretical physicists have now found a new solution to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, according to which gravitational stars could be structured like a Russian matryoshka doll, with one gravastar located inside another.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Innovations in depth from focus/defocus pave the way to more capable computer vision systems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In an image, estimating the distance between objects and the camera by using the blur in the images as clue, also known as depth from focus/defocus, is essential in computer vision. However, model-based methods fail when texture-less surfaces are present, and learning-based methods require the same camera settings during training and testing. Now, researchers have come up with an innovative strategy for depth estimation that combines the best of both the worlds to solve these limitations, extending the applicability of depth from focus/defocus.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Making AI a partner in neuroscientific discovery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The past year has seen major advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT. The ability of these models to interpret and produce human text sources (and other sequence data) has implications for people in many areas of human activity. A new perspective paper argues that like many professionals, neuroscientists can either benefit from partnering with these powerful tools or risk being left behind.