Latest news with #Copernican
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Physicists Think They've Finally Seen Evidence of String Theory
Last month, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collective reported that dark energy is evolving—specifically weakening—and it could help provide the first observational evidence of string theory. While a new preprint reports that cosmological models using the string theory framework account for this weakening of dark matter, some physicists aren't convinced that DESI's data alone definitively speaks about the true nature of dark energy. Luckily, future instruments such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will hopefully either confirm these string theory findings or set physicists down a different path toward finding that ever-elusive 'theory of everything.' The centuries-long Copernican journey of slowly displacing humans from the center of everything has provided our species with an unprecedented understanding of our planet, Solar System, and the known universe. But with every cosmological answer comes an all-you-can-eat buffet of new questions, none of which are quite as enticing as the mystery of dark energy. Ever since the first observational evidence in 1998, when scientists discerned that the universe's expansion was actually accelerating, dark energy has figured prominently in most leading theories attempting to explain the workings of the universe. String theory—the theoretical roots of which date back to the late 1960s—is one of those explanations, and the framework's fortunes have risen and fallen with the passing decades. Many scientists have declared the theory all but dead (or, at the very least, on life support), but new data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which was designed to capture spectroscopic surveys of distant galaxies, has provided some encouraging evidence that string theorists may actually be onto something. At least, that's the idea behind a new preprint paper, published on the server arXiv. Scientists from Virginia Tech, State University of New York (SUNY) and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa argue that the bombshell observations from DESI—primarily, that the dark energy is weakening over time—could provide some of the first direct observational evidence of string theory. 'Given our proposal for the origin of dark energy from the geometry of the dual spacetime, the latest results from DESI might point to a fundamentally new understanding of quantum spacetime in the context of quantum gravity,' the authors wrote in the non-peer-reviewed paper. Unlike the Standard Model, which considers particles to be point-like, string theory—as its name suggests—conceptualizes these particles as one-dimensional vibrating strings, the vibrations of which dictate the behaviors and qualities of the particles. After the announcement of DESI's discovery last month that the impact of dark energy may be weakening over time, string theorists perked up, as this new piece of data fits well within many existing string theory predictions. Cumrun Vafa, a string theory physicist at Harvard University, told Quanta Magazine last month that 'the theory kind of demands that [dark energy] change.' According to Live Science, this new study developed a string theory model that yielded a dark energy density that closely mimicked the data found by DESI. They also discerned that dark energy is impacted by two completely different types of lengths: the ultra-small Planck scale and the absolute size of the universe. This connection hints that dark energy is somehow related to the quantum nature of spacetime itself. 'This hints at a deeper connection between quantum gravity and the dynamical properties of nature that had been supposed to be constant,' SUNY's Michael Kavic told Live Science. 'It may turn out that a fundamental misapprehension we carry with us is that the basic defining properties of our universe are static when in fact they are not.' This doesn't suddenly mean that we've found the ever-elusive 'theory of everything'—a concept that unifies all physics both classical and quantum. For one, independent observations would need to confirm the assertions in this paper (though, the authors believed they've identified ways to possibly accomplish that feat). However, others argue that even the DESI data isn't conclusive on the true nature of dark energy, and that we need superior instruments to really understand what's going on. Luckily, we're getting just that. NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope in 2027, and the National Science Foundation is set to achieve 'first light' with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory later this year. DESI's impressive dataset has set physics down a new path of discovery, but these new instruments will hopefully provide long sought-after cosmological answers—and also a few new questions we never even thought to ask. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Sharjah 24
13-03-2025
- Science
- Sharjah 24
UOS dissertation explores Muslim scholars' impact on astronomy
The study was conducted under the supervision of His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah and Director General of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology, with Prof. Masoud Idris, Director of the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences, serving as co-supervisor. Dissertation defence panel and evaluation The dissertation defense panel was chaired by Mohammed Mounis, Professor of Islamic History and Civilisation, and included Mashhad Al Alaf, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Islamic Civilisation, as the internal examiner, and Prof. Hatem Wedian from Al al-Bayt University in Jordan as the external examiner. Highlighting the contributions of Ibn al-Shatir to astronomy The primary objective of the study was to highlight the contributions of Muslim scholars to science and astronomy, with a particular focus on Ibn al-Shatir's heliocentric model, which stands as one of the most significant achievements of the Arab-Islamic scientific tradition. Ibn al-Shatir was the first to challenge the Ptolemaic theory and successfully demonstrate its inaccuracies, paving the way for substantial advancements in astronomical science. The Influence of Muslim scholars on Copernicus Recent scholarly investigations confirm that Copernican theories of astronomy did not emerge in isolation but rather were built upon the foundational work of earlier Muslim scholars. The study underscores striking similarities between Copernicus's heliocentric theory and the mathematical models developed by Ibn al-Shatir, particularly in their approaches to resolving issues related to Mercury's orbit and the structure of lunar orbits. Despite some minor discrepancies, both scholars employed identical mathematical techniques in their formulations. The findings strongly suggest that Copernicus was influenced by Ibn al-Shatir, particularly in his calculations that align with the notion of Earth and other planets orbiting the Sun—a concept that contradicts the commonly held belief that Copernicus was the original proponent of the heliocentric model. Dissertation acceptance and scholarly impact At the conclusion of the defense session, the examining committee unanimously recommended the acceptance of the dissertation, conferring upon the researcher a Doctorate in History and Islamic Civilisation from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah. The committee commended the dissertation's originality, its scholarly significance, and its substantial contribution to historical and astronomical knowledge. The study provides fresh insights into the role of Muslim scholars in the evolution of astronomy and their critical contributions to the transmission of scientific knowledge to the West.
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UFOs have earned a new name – and the right to serious study
Much as in the US, with the recent congressional hearings on unidentified anomalous phenomena, the UK government is apparently less than transparent in its handling of UAP sightings (formerly called UFOs) – as your article about the Calvine photo shows (What really happened in Calvine? The mystery behind the best UFO picture ever seen, G2, 11 February). And, as in the US, any hope for imminent and trustworthy disclosure about what these objects may be is probably futile. Those who do not a priori consider this topic ludicrous, or exploit it in a sensationalist manner, are increasingly taking a more nuanced and independent approach. If there are such phenomena, it stands to reason that they can and should be studied with the necessary rigour. The unspoken implication is that at least a small proportion of these sightings may relate to what is called NHI – non-human intelligence. If that were to turn out to be true, the consequences for our worldview as the human species would make the Copernican revolution pale into insignificance. Serious research is more than warranted. I recommend Robert Powell's new book, UFOs. It is a highly readable and scientifically solid introduction to the field of UAP studies. Your readers may also be interested in the interdisciplinary international symposium Grounding the SETI and UAP debate at Durham Law School on 24 April. It has taken astronomical research into SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) many decades to lose its stigma as pseudo-science and a reputation-wrecking endeavour. The same needs to happen for UAP Michael BohlanderChair in global law and SETI policy, Durham Law School As the person who first analysed the Calvine photograph for Dr David Clarke in June 2022, I am perhaps more familiar than most with the image. We should always remember there is no proof of where and when the Calvine photograph was taken, or who the photographer was. An Teampan mountain above Calvine is the most likely location, based on the original witness statement. However, we do not yet have an exact match. Dr Clarke's team has traced someone with the same name as that on the back of the photograph, but they deny all knowledge of the incident. The available evidence suggests that the print and negatives were not 'disappeared', as some have suggested, but simply returned to the photographer or newspaper as the Ministry of Defence claims. What has disappeared is the original typewritten witness report faxed to the MoD by Craig Lindsay, along with the analysis produced by its image analysts, the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre. There is no credible evidence to support Sean Kirkpatrick's suggestion that the photograph is the reflection of a rock in a lake, nor is it an image of a mountain top peeking through low-lying cloud as the MoD suggests. It should be noted that in 1992 British intelligence shared the photograph with the US Department of Defense, which undertook its own analysis. It would be interesting indeed if these missing documents were to be located and released. The Calvine story remains open for believers, sceptics and other interested parties to provide their own interpretations, and in this way a contemporary folklore of competing narratives has grown up around the Robinson Senior lecturer in photography, Sheffield Hallam University This is the level of reportage and analysis that the public is crying out for on 'the phenomenon' (a catch-all phrase to cover the whole gamut of data, collected over eight decades, relating to something potentially non-human among us). More please. A series of articles would be very welcome: on Berwyn Mountain, Broad Haven School, Rendlesham Forest and more. Data is not evidence, and is certainly not 'proof' of anything, but it must be gathered and interrogated CartyDublin, Ireland Do you have a photograph you'd like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers' best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Just Discovered ‘Quipu,' the New Largest Structure in Our Cosmos
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." To explore deep space is to come to grips with humanity's ever-shrinking importance in the universe. In another shot to our cosmic ego, scientists have discovered a new superstructure, named Quipu, that stretches 1.39 billion light-years across and contains the equivalent mass of 200 quadrillion Suns. This makes Quipu the largest known structure in the local universe, and understanding these structures can help scientists learn more about the evolution of the cosmos. Humanity's growing understanding of the universe can be best described as a 'Copernican journey'—the centuries-long discovery that we are far from the center of all things. Earth, for example, orbits around the Sun (thanks for that one, Copernicus). But it's also just one Solar System among billions in the Milky Way, which is turn a part of the Virgo Supercluster and the even larger Laniakea supercluster—one of the largest objects in the universe, at around 520 million light-years across. However, even Laniakea isn't the largest structure in the known universe. In 2003, scientists discovered the Sloan Great Wall (SGW), believed to stretch beyond 1 billion light-years. But now, in a study published on the preprint server arXiv (and accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics), scientists assert their belief that there's a structure even larger than this celestial behemoth. Its name is Quipu, and astronomers estimate that its massive bulk stretches some 1.39 billion light-years across. According to Princeton astronomer J. Richard Gott III, who helped discover the SGW and who spoke with New Scientist, Quipu 'end to end, is slightly longer' than SGW. The researchers also estimate that Quipu contains the equivalent mass of 200 quadrillion Suns. Feeling insignificant yet? 'For a precise determination of cosmological parameters we need to understand the effects of the local large-scale structure of the Universe on the measurements,' the authors wrote. 'Characterizing these superstructures is also important for astrophysical research, for example the study of the environmental dependence of galaxy evolution as well as for precision tests of cosmological models.' The name Quipu—a reference to the textile-based recording devices used by several ancient cultures in the central Andes—is both catchy and descriptive. The authors note that one particular view gives 'the best impression of the superstructure as a long filament with small side filaments, which initiated the naming of Quipu.' The team analyzed Quipu, along with four other superstructures, using data from the German Aerospace Center-led ROSAT X-ray satellite and the team's Cosmic Large-Scale Structure in X-rays (CLASSIX) Cluster Survey. They found that these structures together contain roughly 45 percent of all galaxy clusters, 30 percent of all galaxies, and 25 percent of matter in the observable universe. However, even larger structures might still exist. The Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, located further afield than Quipu, has been estimated to stretch 10 billion light-years long (though its true size is still up for debate). Understanding Quipu and other superstructures like it is vitally important, as they challenge our current understanding of cosmological evolution, which states that matter should be relatively evenly distributed throughout the universe. These superstructures are so huge that forming them could theoretically take longer than the universe is old. However, Quipu isn't a fixture of the universe. Despite its immense stature, it too will eventually disappear from the cosmic stage. 'In the future cosmic evolution, these superstructures are bound to break up into several collapsing units,' the authors wrote. 'They are thus transient configurations.' Even cosmic superstructures can't escape the inexorable march of time. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
