time

For The First Time, We’ve Seen a Red Giant Star Transition Into a Supernova

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We’re seeing many spectacular sights out in space as our telescopes become more powerful, but there’s a new contender for the most exciting one yet: According to researchers, we’ve observed a red supergiant star exploding into a supernova for the first time.   Supernova (SN) 2020tlf, to give it its technical name, was watched for … Read more

Gorgeous HD Footage Shows Humanity’s Final View of The James Webb Space Telescope

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We can all breathe a bit easier now. In spite of a launch bedeviled by problem after problem, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally in space, making its way to its new home.   And if you needed a little reassurance that this is the case (which is totally understandable), the European Space Agency … Read more

Scientists Spot Eerily Sophisticated Patterns in ‘Simple’ Bacteria Colonies

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Bacterial colonies can organize themselves into complex ring-like patterns which have an “intriguing similarity” to developing embryos and were thought to be unique to plants and animals, new research suggests.   Bacterial cells band together in clumps to form tightly packed colonies called biofilms that have a growing reputation for acting strangely like multicellular organisms. … Read more

What is the Planck time?

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The Planck time is an incredibly small interval of time that emerges naturally from a few basic quantities in theoretical physics. When it was discovered by Max Planck at the end of the 19th century, it seemed to be no more than a scientific curiosity. But today it plays a tantalizing role in our understanding … Read more

Hangover Cures Aren’t Supported by Scientific Evidence, Scientists Say

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If a hangover is an experience you’re familiar with, then you might have your own go-to hangover cure to try and get yourself back from that painful, zombie-fied state. However, we have bad news: new research suggests that most of these cures don’t have any solid science behind them.   Through a review of 21 … Read more

A Giant Asteroid Bigger Than The Empire State Building Is About to Zip Past Earth

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A large, rocky asteroid is going to fly by Earth next week. At 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) long, it’s roughly two and a half times the height of the Empire State Building, and it’s been classed a “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid” due to its size and its regular close visits to our planet.   But don’t … Read more

The Science of ‘Flow States’, Explained by a Cognitive Science Researcher

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New years often come with new resolutions. Get back in shape. Read more. Make more time for friends and family. My list of resolutions might not look quite the same as yours, but each of our resolutions represents a plan for something new, or at least a little bit different. As you craft your 2022 … Read more

What the thermodynamics of clocks tell us about the mysteries of time

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Surprising new insights about the strange physics underlying how clocks work could transform our understanding of time’s arrow – and hint at how time works at the quantum scale Physics 29 December 2021 By Miriam Frankel Hardziej Studio A CENTURY ago, two intellectual giants met to debate the nature of time. One was the French … Read more

How Did The Big Bang Arise Out of Nothing?

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“The last star will slowly cool and fade away. With its passing, the Universe will become once more a void, without light or life or meaning.” So warned the physicist Brian Cox in the recent BBC series Universe. The fading of that last star will only be the beginning of an infinitely long, dark epoch. … Read more