'Remarkable' UClan astrophysicist praised by top scientist
"I couldn't believe someone of such gravitas was interested in my work," she said, adding he is "so passionate about his research and it's infectious to see how excited he is about the possible links" between their findings.Sir Roger, a world-renowned mathematician and physicist who mentored Professor Stephen Hawking, has a keen interest in the cosmological discoveries because they could show signs of his theory of the origin and development of the universe.He has cited Ms Lopez in his latest research publication, The Physics of Conformal Cyclic Cosmology.He said: "Alexia Lopez has discovered a remarkable effect which appears to substantiate the conformal cyclic cosmological model that I originally suggested in the early years of the 21st Century. "Her observations provide what appears to be a very strong challenge to conventional cosmology which had not been previously anticipated."Ms Lopez, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at UCLan in Preston, has been with the university since 2015 when she began an undergraduate degree in physics with astrophysics. She then went on to complete a Masters and PhD with the University's Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Maths and Physics (JHI).Professor Derek Ward Thompson, director of the JHI, said: "We're very proud of what Alexia has achieved so far and she's still only at the beginning of her scientific career. "To have the backing of Sir Roger Penrose is amazing and really highlights the significance of her research."
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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Bright orange shark spotted for the ‘first time ever' after being reeled in by fisherman in catch of a lifetime
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Scotsman
5 days ago
- Scotsman
How these changes to Sitka spruce plantations could help improve biodiversity in Scotland
'Blocky mixes' are being put forward as an option according to a new report. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A new report has found how the most common conifer plantation can be managed in a more biodiversity-friendly way long-term. Sitka spruce dominates the forestry sector, with the non-native tree making up about half of Scottish woodlands. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There have been concerns the plantations are less resilient to disease, severe weather and longer-term climatic shifts. The visual impact of the 'serried ranks' on the landscape and the lack of species diversity under its dense canopy have also been noted as issues. Sitka spruce is the most common conifer in Scotland | JHI Diversification of woodlands is fairly common now, with the Scottish Government only allowing up to 65 per cent of one tree variety in a woodland to avoid climate and disease related problems. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There can be issues, however, with some native broadleaves being unable to grow long-term with Sitka. It is why some researchers have suggested planting natives in 'blocky mixes' among the plantations. A new paper from the DiversiTree project, a collaborative project aimed at increasing woodland resilience through greater tree species diversity, began the study identifying 564 species (12 birds, 147 bryophytes, 28 non-lichen-forming fungi, 123 invertebrates, 243 lichens and 11 mammals) which use the Sitka spruce for feeding or as a living space. However, many of these are non-specialists and can survive on a wide range of trees. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The authors then assessed 34 tree species which could be planted with Sitka spruce for their impacts on both biodiversity and ecosystem function. This included checking their leaf litter decomposition traits, influence on the soil and leaf litter chemistry, as well as their ability to grow alongside Sitka spruce, support Sitka spruce-associated species and nurture additional biodiversity. Authors said mixing Sitka forests with oak, sycamore, Scots pine, birch, beech and Norway spruce would provide the greatest biodiversity benefits, supporting both the species found on Sitka spruce and additional biodiversity not currently found in these forests. However, the study explained all these tree species, except sycamore, are unable to grow in the long-term when planted in mixtures with Sitka spruce. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is when authors suggested 'blocky mixes' - small blocks of single tree species which connect the forest like a patchwork quilt. They claimed this would help diversify Sitka spruce plantations without major impact to timber production. The paper said more research is needed to decide the optimal size and arrangement of these 'blocks.' Dr Ruth Mitchell of JHI | JHI Dr Ruth Mitchell, a plant soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute and the paper's lead author, said: 'As our forestry adapts to a changing climate and new tree pests and pathogens, it is crucial that we understand how this may impact forest associated biodiversity. 'This work shows how diversification of our Sitka spruce plantations with other tree species can bring many biodiversity benefits." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Forestry leaders insist Scotland needs to increase its timber production, often citing the UK being the second largest importer of timber products in the world.
Metro
5 days ago
- Metro
‘Godfather of AI' reveals the only way we can stop it wiping out humanity
Hiyah Zaidi Published August 14, 2025 3:18pm Updated August 14, 2025 3:18pm Link is copied Comments If you want to live, let AI mother you. That's the advice of Dr Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the 'Godfather of AI', who fears the very technology he helped to create could wipe out humanity. Previously, he said that there is a 10-20% chance that AI could wipe out humans, which is very high. And as we almost battle to keep AI 'submissive' he fears things could go wrong – but says there is a way we can fix it using an example from nature. So what is it? (Picture: LUNDAHL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) Dr Hinton is known as the 'Godfather of AI' because of his pioneering work in developing artificial neural networks, which is the core of machine learning. His work helped accelerate AI's advancement, and it's this work that helped him win the Nobel Prize in physics. Now, he's warned that AI systems will be able to control humans like an adult can bribe children with candy. And AI models are starting to show some worrying traits — in one pretend scenario to test the model, when an AI system learnt that it was about to be replaced by another AI system, it attempted to blackmail an engineer after learning about their affair through company emails (Picture: Getty) But Dr Hinton has another idea. He suggests that humans should build 'maternal instincts' into AI models, which will make them really care about us. So, even when they become more powerful and smarter than humans, they won't harm us. He said AI systems 'will very quickly develop two subgoals, if they're smart: One is to stay alive… (and) the other subgoal is to get more control. There is good reason to believe that any kind of agentic AI will try to stay alive' (Picture: Getty) Speaking at Ai4, an industry conference in Las Vegas, he said that mothers have instinct and social pressure to care for their babies. He said: 'The right model is the only model we have of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing, which is a mother being controlled by her baby.' He added: 'We need AI mothers rather than AI assistants. An assistant is someone you can fire. You can't fire your mother, thankfully.' However, he said it's not clear how this could be achieved (Picture: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) According to Dr Hinton, most experts think AI will surpass the human mind in around five to 20 years. Or even sooner. And these will be systems that are more capable than any person alive, which he doubts we will be able to control once they arrive. He said: 'They're going to be much smarter than us. Imagine you were in charge of a playground of three-year-olds and you worked for them. It wouldn't be very hard for them to get around you if they were smarter' (Picture: Getty) However, not everyone agrees with this. Speaking to CNN, Dr Fei-Fei Li, who is known as 'the godmother of AI', said she respectfully disagrees with her longtime friend Dr Hinton. She said: 'I think that's the wrong way to frame it.' She added: 'It's our responsibility at every single level to create and use technology in the most responsible way. And at no moment, not a single human should be asked or should choose to let go of our dignity. Just because a tool is powerful, as a mother, as an educator and as an inventor, I really believe this is the core of how AI should be centered' (Picture: Getty) But despite being concerned that AI will overhaul humanity, Dr Hinton does think the bot can have some useful applications in the area of healthcare. He said that through using medical scans and patient records, AI will be able to deliver faster diagnosis. However, he is doubtful that AI could stop ageing. He said: 'Living forever would be a big mistake. Do you want the world run by 200-year-old white men?' (Picture: Canadian Press/Shutterstock)
