Latest news with #AuburnUniversity
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alabama's Miss America met with President Trump in the Oval Office
According to the 'Miss America' Instagram page, Miss America, Abbie Stockard, visited President Trump in the Oval Office. She discussed the Promise Fund with Trump, which is a non-profit organization that fights for early detection for breast and cervical cancer. The fund's goal is to provide underserved women screenings, diagnosis, treatment and follow up care for the illnesses. Abbie was there with the CEO of the Promise Fund, Audrey Brown. During her visit, Abbie gave First Lady, Melania Trump a bracelet that symbolizes the fund's promise, which is screening saves lives. Abbie won Miss America in January of 2025, and she was Miss Alabama last year in 2024. She is from Birmingham, and she attends Auburn University, where she majors in nursing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Infamous 'neutron lifetime puzzle' may finally have a solution — but it involves invisible atoms
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A mysterious second flavor of hydrogen atoms — one that doesn't interact with light — may exist, a new theoretical study proposes, and it could account for much of the universe's missing matter while also explaining a long-standing mystery in particle physics. The mystery, known as the neutron lifetime puzzle, revolves around two experimental methods whose results disagree on the average lifetime of free neutrons — those not bound within atomic nuclei — before they decay to produce three other particles: protons, electrons and neutrinos. "There were two kinds of experiments for measuring the neutron lifetime," Eugene Oks, a physicist at Auburn University and sole author of the new study published in the journal Nuclear Physics B, told Live Science in an email. The two methods are called beam and bottle. In beam experiments, scientists count protons left behind immediately after neutrons decay. Using the other approach, in bottle experiments, ultra-cold neutrons are trapped and left to decay, and the remaining neutrons are counted after the experimental run is over — typically lasting between 100 and 1000 seconds, with many such runs performed under varying conditions like trap material, storage time, and temperature to improve accuracy and control for systematic errors. These two methods yield results that differ by about 10 seconds: beam experiments measure a neutron lifetime of 888 seconds, whereas bottle experiments report 878 seconds — a discrepancy well beyond experimental uncertainty. "This was the puzzle," said Oks. In his study, Oks proposes that the discrepancy in lifetimes arises because a neutron sometimes decays not into three particles, but just two: a hydrogen atom and a neutrino. Since the hydrogen atom is electrically neutral, it can pass through detectors unnoticed, giving the false impression that fewer decays have occurred than expected. Although this two-body decay mode had been proposed theoretically in the past, it was believed to be extremely rare — occurring in only about 4 out of every million decays. Oks argues that this estimate is dramatically off because previous calculations didn't consider a more exotic possibility: that most of these two-body decays produce a second, unrecognized flavor of hydrogen atom. And unlike ordinary hydrogen, these atoms don't interact with light. "They do not emit or absorb electromagnetic radiation, they remain dark," Oks explained. That would make them undetectable using traditional instruments, which rely on light to find and study atoms. Related: How many atoms are in the observable universe? What distinguishes this second flavor? Most importantly, the electron in this type of hydrogen would be far more likely to be found close to the central proton than in ordinary atoms, and would be completely immune to the electromagnetic forces that make regular atoms visible. The invisible hydrogen would be hard to detect. "The probability of finding the atomic electron in the close proximity to the proton is several orders of magnitude greater than for ordinary hydrogen atoms," Oks added. This strange atomic behavior comes from a peculiar solution to the Dirac equation — the core equation in quantum physics that describes how electrons behave. Normally, these solutions are considered unphysical, but Oks argues that once the fact that protons have a finite size is taken into account, these unusual solutions start to make sense and describe well-defined particles. By considering a second flavor of hydrogen, Oks calculates that the rate of two-body decays could be enhanced by a factor of about 3,000. This would raise their frequency to around 1% of all neutron decays — enough to explain the gap between beam and bottle experiments. "The enhancement of the two-body decay by a factor of about 3000 provided the complete quantitative resolution of the neutron lifetime puzzle," he said. That's not all. Invisible hydrogen atoms might also solve another cosmic mystery: the identity of dark matter, the unseen material that's thought to make up most of the matter in the universe today. In a 2020 study, Oks showed that if these invisible atoms were abundant in the early universe, they could explain an unexpected dip in ancient hydrogen radio signals observed by astronomers. Since then, he has argued that these atoms may be the dominant form of baryonic dark matter — matter made from known particles like protons and neutrons, but in a form that's hard to detect. "The status of the second flavor of hydrogen atoms as baryonic dark matter is favored by the Occam's razor principle," said Oks, referring to the idea that the simplest explanation is often best. "The second flavor of hydrogen atoms, being based on the standard quantum mechanics, does not go beyond the Standard Model of particle physics." In other words, no exotic new particles or material are needed to explain dark matter — just a new interpretation of atoms that we already thought we understood. Oks is now collaborating with experimentalists to test his theory. At the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, a team is preparing an experiment based on two key ideas. First, both flavors of hydrogen can be excited using an electron beam. Second, once excited, ordinary hydrogen atoms can be stripped away using a laser or electric field — leaving behind only the invisible ones. A similar experiment is also being prepared in Germany at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, a national research institute near Garching. RELATED STORIES —Dark matter may have its own 'invisible' periodic table of elements —Scientists may have finally found where the 'missing half' of the universe's matter is hiding —Scientists are one step closer to knowing the mass of ghostly neutrinos — possibly paving the way to new physics The stakes for these tests are high. "If successful, the experiment could yield results this year," said Oks. "The success would be a very significant breakthrough both in particle physics and in dark matter research." In the future, Oks plans to explore whether other atomic systems might also have two flavors, potentially opening the door to even more surprising discoveries. And if confirmed, such findings could also reshape our understanding of cosmic history. "The precise value of the neutron lifetime is pivotal for calculating the amount of hydrogen, helium and other light elements that were formed in the first few minutes of the universe's life," Oks said. So his proposal doesn't just solve a long-standing puzzle — it could rewrite the earliest chapters of cosmic evolution.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Azeem out of 100m but helps Auburn clock second-fastest in relay
KUALA LUMPUR: Azeem Fahmi fell short in the NCAA men's 100m quarter-finals but bounced back in style as part of Auburn University's 4x100m relay team in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday. The 21-year-old clocked 10.20s to finish sixth in Heat One of the 100m quarter-finals, placing 16th overall out of 24 competitors - outside the top 12 needed to progress to the semi-finals next week. However, Azeem made amends in the relay, teaming up with Kayinsola Ajani, Dario Matau and Makanakaishe Charamba to post the second-fastest time of 38.51 and seal a place in the next round in Eugene.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'No credit or consent.' Composer says Indiana Bible College stole her song for streaming
An Indiana Bible school is under scrutiny after a composer took to social media to claim it infringed on her copyrighted work and is selling music based on her composition. Choral music composer Rosephanye Powell said an Indiana Bible College choir copied, altered and performed her song without permission. Powell, a professor at Auburn University in Alabama, said Indiana Bible College's 'John 1' uses elements of her 'The Word Was God.' She and her publisher, Glendale, California-based Gentry Publications, had denied usage to the Indiana college last year, according to Powell. The a cappella song is based on the first chapter in the Bible's Gospel of John. Powell is well-known in the choral community. The American Choral Directors Association honored Powell with its 2025 Raymond Brock Memorial Commission, a prestigious award. Her new work premiered at the organization's national conference this spring. 'Rosephanye Powell is one of the most important female composers of choral music in the United States today – if not the most important,' said Stephen Bock, president of Fred Bock Music Co. Inc., which owns Gentry Publications. 'The Word Was God' was her first publication and is her most iconic work, Bock said. Powell composed the song when she and her husband, William C. Powell, now music professor and director of choral activities at Auburn, were co-conductors for the collegiate choir at Philander Smith College, an HBCU in Arkansas. The choir there in 1996 was the first to perform it. 'There is no doubt that what Indiana Bible College has done is infringe on the copyright of 'The Word Was God,' Bock said. 'This song is undeniably a derivative of my work,' she said in a May 23 Facebook post, adding that the Indiana choir made minor alterations to notes, rests and rhythms to "The Word Was God." The bible college choir had performed an unapproved arrangement of her song in early 2024, titled 'The Word Was God,' using a band and a soloist and uploaded it to TikTok, Powell said in a May 23 Facebook post. Indiana Bible College initially contacted Gentry Publications in January 2024, seeking permission to produce a gospel arrangement of 'The Word Was God,' but recorded the song and released a video before getting the approval from Powell and the publisher, Bock said. Gentry Publications rejected the request and directed the choir to destroy the music and remove the video, according to Bock. Indiana Bible College choir director Tim Hall had told Powell that, as a high school choral director, he'd performed the song years before, and in April 2024, he again requested to use the music, this time for a performance at an international music festival at the school. Powell and Gentry said no. 'And then the next thing we knew, in April of 2025, they released 'John 1,' which we feel is completely derivative of 'The Word Was God,'' Bock said. The Indiana choir was using material from 'The Word Was God,' but presenting 'John 1' as an original composition, he said. 'What came out in April of this year, 'John 1,' we contend is a slight — and by slight, I mean slight — reworking of the gospel arrangement of 'The Word Was God' that they tried to get permission for in 2024,' Bock said. 'So legally, it is a derivative of a derivative. 'What makes this egregious is the historical record of their interest in 'The Word Was God,' going back to January of 2024, and their continued insistence that it's original work when it is obvious that it is not.' Gentry learned of the 'John 1' song a couple of days after the school's April 26 upload of a music video for the song to YouTube, and contacted the college the April 30, alleging copyright infringement. The publisher made the copyright claim against the 'John 1' video to YouTube in mid-May, and by the morning of May 20, the platform had removed the music video, Bock said. At that point, the video had about 940,000 views, he said. Powell, who also has taught at Philander Smith and Georgia Southern University, said Indiana Bible College is profiting from the song through sales on its website and digital platforms. "John 1" debuted on Apple Music on May 2, 2025. Since she began sharing her story on social media last week, the school has posted that it is attempting to determine the legalities. IndyStar has reached out to Indiana Bible College for comment, but has not received a response. Others are reading: Why authors of 'Back Home Again' were accused of stealing from another iconic Indiana song Hall and other credited arrangers of the unlicensed 2024 arrangement are listed as composers of 'John 1' and claim 'The Word Was God' is not part of the new work, Powell said in the May 23 Facebook post. Hall is also associate dean of worship studies at Indiana Bible College. 'The disregard for me and my work is both unprofessional and deeply troubling. As an African American composer, I am acutely aware of our nation's history of Black artists having their musical property taken without credit or consent. That history makes Mr. Hall's actions especially egregious, given his role in guiding young singers, arrangers, and musicians,' Powell said in the post. 'What is most disheartening is that I communicated my position to Mr. Hall very politely and respectfully a year ago, making it clear why I could not approve.' In a May 26 social media post, Powell said she felt strongly the song should not be performed with a band or soloist, as the Indiana choir had done without permission in 2024. She intended the a cappella piece to be restricted to human voices to convey God's speaking creation. 'I wanted people to get a picture of how God's word created the world,' Powell said. 'I was trying to spread not just the message, but give them a picture of what God's voice did as he spoke. One day there's trees, then there's the sun, there's the moon, there's the stars, then there's shrubbery, there's water. A picture of the Earth is being created through voices.' While the Scripture is not copyrighted, the harmonies and rhythms used in 'The Word Was God' are, Powell said. 'That, for me, is about integrity,' she said in the video. ' It is not about the money. They're the ones making the money.' 'And what's worse is this time they're saying it's an original work, which means it uses none of my work whatsoever. But this is not true. Sections of this song are my work, so it's exactly as before,' she said. 'At least before they said they were using my work, they just didn't get a license for it and didn't inform me in advance or get permission. Now they say none of it is my work.' I am so grateful for the support of so many of you! I hope this video clarifies some of the questions concerning the backstory of the situation with Indiana Bible College's 'John 1.' #fypシ #foryoupage #fyp #indianabiblecollege #thewordwasgod #john1 #rosephanyepowell #copyrightinfringement Many in the music community are standing up for Powell. 'This is not homage. This is THEFT. It is a violation of copyright law and a blatant disrespect of a Black female composer's intellectual property. Historically, we have seen this happen often where black artists have repeatedly had their creative works stolen, imitated, or repackaged without credit or compensation,' said Antwoin Holman, a high school choral music director in Douglasville, Georgia, on Facebook. 'This pattern of exploitation must be called out and challenged and IBC we are holding your feet to the fire.' Powell also has the support of J. W. Pepper, the world's largest sheet music retailer. The 149-year-old company on May 28 posted to its Facebook page, 'We stand with Rosephanye Powell. As a champion of original music, we support the artists whose work we distribute,' the company posted on May 28. ' We applaud Dr. Powell's courage in speaking out to defend her intellectual property. Creative work is not only labor—it's legacy.' Bock said Gentry had been trying to resolve the issue privately. On May 23, the publisher emailed Indiana Bible College a 20-page letter detailing its case for 'John 1' being derivative of 'The Word Was God.' Bock said the school responded on May 25, saying, 'We are in the process of evaluating the extensive analysis you shared of 'John 1' relative to 'The Word Was God, and will provide a full response as soon as it is practicable.' Gentry has had nothing directly from the school since, Bock said. 'They're supposed to be getting a response to us. I don't know what it means for timing. As of right now, the ball is in their court.' A post shared by Indiana Bible College (@ Indiana Bible College, founded in 1981 and currently located at 1502 E. Sumner Avenue, posted to its social media accounts that it working on clearing up the matter in private. 'The release of the choral arrangement 'John 1' has been met with claims of copyright infringement," it said. "Establishing whether copyright infringement has occurred is extraordinarily fact sensitive, and parties to copyright infringement disputes frequently genuinely disagree whether the legal standard for infringement has been met. We are actively discussing the matter privately with the only party that has a legal standing to dispute the matter.'
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'No credit or consent.' Composer says Indiana Bible College stole her song for streaming
An Indiana Bible school is under scrutiny after a composer took to social media to claim it infringed on her copyrighted work and is selling music based on her composition. Choral music composer Rosephanye Powell said an Indiana Bible College choir copied, altered and performed her song without permission. Powell, a professor at Auburn University in Alabama, said Indiana Bible College's 'John 1' uses elements of her 'The Word Was God.' She and her publisher, Glendale, California-based Gentry Publications, had denied usage to the Indiana college last year, according to Powell. The a cappella song is based on the first chapter in the Bible's Gospel of John. Powell is well-known in the choral community. The American Choral Directors Association honored Powell with its 2025 Raymond Brock Memorial Commission, a prestigious award. Her new work premiered at the organization's national conference this spring. 'Rosephanye Powell is one of the most important female composers of choral music in the United States today – if not the most important,' said Stephen Bock, president of Fred Bock Music Co. Inc., which owns Gentry Publications. 'The Word Was God' was her first publication and is her most iconic work, Bock said. Powell composed the song when she and her husband, William C. Powell, now music professor and director of choral activities at Auburn, were co-conductors for the collegiate choir at Philander Smith College, an HBCU in Arkansas. The choir there in 1996 was the first to perform it. 'There is no doubt that what Indiana Bible College has done is infringe on the copyright of 'The Word Was God,' Bock said. 'This song is undeniably a derivative of my work,' she said in a May 23 Facebook post, adding that the Indiana choir made minor alterations to notes, rests and rhythms to "The Word Was God." The bible college choir had performed an unapproved arrangement of her song in early 2024, titled 'The Word Was God,' using a band and a soloist and uploaded it to TikTok, Powell said in a May 23 Facebook post. Indiana Bible College initially contacted Gentry Publications in January 2024, seeking permission to produce a gospel arrangement of 'The Word Was God,' but recorded the song and released a video before getting the approval from Powell and the publisher, Bock said. Gentry Publications rejected the request and directed the choir to destroy the music and remove the video, according to Bock. Indiana Bible College choir director Tim Hall had told Powell that, as a high school choral director, he'd performed the song years before, and in April 2024, he again requested to use the music, this time for a performance at an international music festival at the school. Powell and Gentry said no. 'And then the next thing we knew, in April of 2025, they released 'John 1,' which we feel is completely derivative of 'The Word Was God,'' Bock said. The Indiana choir was using material from 'The Word Was God,' but presenting 'John 1' as an original composition, he said. 'What came out in April of this year, 'John 1,' we contend is a slight — and by slight, I mean slight — reworking of the gospel arrangement of 'The Word Was God' that they tried to get permission for in 2024,' Bock said. 'So legally, it is a derivative of a derivative. 'What makes this egregious is the historical record of their interest in 'The Word Was God,' going back to January of 2024, and their continued insistence that it's original work when it is obvious that it is not.' Gentry learned of the 'John 1' song a couple of days after the school's April 26 upload of a music video for the song to YouTube, and contacted the college the April 30, alleging copyright infringement. The publisher made the copyright claim against the 'John 1' video to YouTube in mid-May, and by the morning of May 20, the platform had removed the music video, Bock said. At that point, the video had about 940,000 views, he said. Powell, who also has taught at Philander Smith and Georgia Southern University, said Indiana Bible College is profiting from the song through sales on its website and digital platforms. "John 1" debuted on Apple Music on May 2, 2025. Since she began sharing her story on social media last week, the school has posted that it is attempting to determine the legalities. IndyStar has reached out to Indiana Bible College for comment, but has not received a response. Others are reading: Why authors of 'Back Home Again' were accused of stealing from another iconic Indiana song Hall and other credited arrangers of the unlicensed 2024 arrangement are listed as composers of 'John 1' and claim 'The Word Was God' is not part of the new work, Powell said in the May 23 Facebook post. Hall is also associate dean of worship studies at Indiana Bible College. 'The disregard for me and my work is both unprofessional and deeply troubling. As an African American composer, I am acutely aware of our nation's history of Black artists having their musical property taken without credit or consent. That history makes Mr. Hall's actions especially egregious, given his role in guiding young singers, arrangers, and musicians,' Powell said in the post. 'What is most disheartening is that I communicated my position to Mr. Hall very politely and respectfully a year ago, making it clear why I could not approve.' In a May 26 social media post, Powell said she felt strongly the song should not be performed with a band or soloist, as the Indiana choir had done without permission in 2024. She intended the a cappella piece to be restricted to human voices to convey God's speaking creation. 'I wanted people to get a picture of how God's word created the world,' Powell said. 'I was trying to spread not just the message, but give them a picture of what God's voice did as he spoke. One day there's trees, then there's the sun, there's the moon, there's the stars, then there's shrubbery, there's water. A picture of the Earth is being created through voices.' While the Scripture is not copyrighted, the harmonies and rhythms used in 'The Word Was God' are, Powell said. 'That, for me, is about integrity,' she said in the video. ' It is not about the money. They're the ones making the money.' 'And what's worse is this time they're saying it's an original work, which means it uses none of my work whatsoever. But this is not true. Sections of this song are my work, so it's exactly as before,' she said. 'At least before they said they were using my work, they just didn't get a license for it and didn't inform me in advance or get permission. Now they say none of it is my work.' Many in the music community are standing up for Powell. 'This is not homage. This is THEFT. It is a violation of copyright law and a blatant disrespect of a Black female composer's intellectual property. Historically, we have seen this happen often where black artists have repeatedly had their creative works stolen, imitated, or repackaged without credit or compensation,' said Antwoin Holman, a high school choral music director in Douglasville, Georgia, on Facebook. 'This pattern of exploitation must be called out and challenged and IBC we are holding your feet to the fire.' Powell also has the support of J. W. Pepper, the world's largest sheet music retailer. The 149-year-old company on May 28 posted to its Facebook page, 'We stand with Rosephanye Powell. As a champion of original music, we support the artists whose work we distribute,' the company posted on May 28. ' We applaud Dr. Powell's courage in speaking out to defend her intellectual property. Creative work is not only labor—it's legacy.' Bock said Gentry had been trying to resolve the issue privately. On May 23, the publisher emailed Indiana Bible College a 20-page letter detailing its case for 'John 1' being derivative of 'The Word Was God.' Bock said the school responded on May 25, saying, 'We are in the process of evaluating the extensive analysis you shared of 'John 1' relative to 'The Word Was God, and will provide a full response as soon as it is practicable.' Gentry has had nothing directly from the school since, Bock said. 'They're supposed to be getting a response to us. I don't know what it means for timing. As of right now, the ball is in their court.' Indiana Bible College, founded in 1981 and currently located at 1502 E. Sumner Avenue, posted to its social media accounts that it working on clearing up the matter in private. 'The release of the choral arrangement 'John 1' has been met with claims of copyright infringement," it said. "Establishing whether copyright infringement has occurred is extraordinarily fact sensitive, and parties to copyright infringement disputes frequently genuinely disagree whether the legal standard for infringement has been met. We are actively discussing the matter privately with the only party that has a legal standing to dispute the matter.'
