Chemical laws
Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe
by Vanessa A Seifert
science
How Noether’s Theorem Revolutionized Physics
Emmy Noether showed that fundamental physical laws are just a consequence of simple symmetries. A century later, her insights continue to shape physics.
By Shalma Wegsman
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-noethers-theorem-revolutionized-physics-20250207/
More information about Noether's theorem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem
Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist Daniel Bernoulli was born #OTD in 1700.
He is particularly remembered for his applications of mathematics to mechanics, especially fluid mechanics, and for his pioneering work in probability and statistics. His name is commemorated in the Bernoulli's principle, a particular example of the conservation of energy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Bernoulli
Books by Daniel Bernoulli at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/41345
PRESS RELEASE: https://www.seti.org/press-release/apply-davie-postdoctoral-fellowship-artificial-intelligence-astronomy
The SETI Institute announced the Davie Postdoctoral Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence for Astronomy, inviting researchers to refine and expand ML-driven pipelines for exoplanet discovery. The successful candidate will join the SETI Institute researcher Dr. Vishal Gajjar and his team and collaborators at the SETI Institute and IIT Tirupati in India. The application deadline is March 15, 2025.
PRESS RELEASE: A research team led by Dr. Sofia Sheikh of the SETI Institute, in collaboration with the Characterizing Atmospheric Technosignatures project and the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center, set out to answer a simple question: If an extraterrestrial civilization existed with technology similar to ours, would they be able to detect Earth and evidence of humanity? If so, what signals would they detect, and from how far away? https://youtu.be/Pdg2x3NP2ds
I always gush about @ZLabe and his account, because for one thing it makes the data he works with more accessible (via #ActivityPub), but secondly because the #infographics he stares are very informative - and consistent.
Are there any other #science, #edutainment and #infographic accounts on the #fediverse that has similar consistent and qualify of posts? Think content that is fairly easily digestible during a scroll.
We're looking for the accounts that #TeachTheFediverse.
"Let theory guide your observations [otherwise one] might as well go into a gravel pit and count the pebbles and describe the colours."
Darwin, 1903
Cited in: Lawrence P., 2016 "Francis Crick: a singular approach to scientific discovery"
Wild.
#Science #USPol #USScience #censorship #exile
A press release from Aix Marseille University today said that the program is for American scientists who “may feel threatened or hindered in their research,” and is “dedicated to welcoming scientists wishing to pursue their work in an environment conducive to innovation, excellence and academic freedom.”
In an interview with AFP, University management said that the invitation is in the “DNA of Marseille” values, and that it has previously invited researchers from Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Palestine as part of a program that supports researchers and artists forced into exile.
#Science #USPol #USScience #censorship #exile
American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson died #OTD in 2005.
She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career. She started as a computer engineer at the segregated West Area Computing division in 1951. In 1958, after taking engineering classes, she became NASA's first black female engineer.
Edited 277d ago
How Hans Bethe Stumbled Upon Perfect Quantum Theories
Quantum calculations amount to sophisticated estimates. But in 1931, Hans Bethe intuited precisely how a chain of particles would behave — an insight that had far-reaching consequences.
By Matt von Rippel
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-hans-bethe-stumbled-upon-perfect-quantum-theories-20250212/
More information about Hans Bethe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Bethe
I loved working on this article:
The technology in your cell phone has a hidden connection to the stars. Modern computer chips are made using ultraviolet light from vaporized balls of tin--and those balls closely mirror the physics of supernova explosions!
https://spectrum.ieee.org/euv-light-source #science #tech #space
Here it is: The first clear image of an eclipse of the Sun by the Earth, taken from the surface of the Moon.
This is what last night's lunar eclipse looked like from the Blue Ghost lander's perspective on the Moon. Amazing!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fireflyspace/54386246629/in/dateposted/ #space #science #art #tech
#Cancer, #Covid, & #Alzheimers #Research Could Be Lost Forever
Days before #RFKJr announced that 10,000 #HHS staffers would lose their jobs, a message appeared on #NIH research repository sites saying they were "under review."
#Trump #health #science #medicine #AntiIntellectualism #idiocracy #USpol
https://www.404media.co/nih-archives-repositories-marked-for-review-for-potential-modification/
What Counts as a Planet?
by Patricia Fara
The scientific disagreement about whether Pluto is a planet is just the latest war in the classifications of planets.
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/great-debates/what-counts-planet
Unearthed notebooks shed light on Victorian genius who inspired Einstein
Michael Faraday’s illustrated notes that show how radical scientist began his theories at London’s Royal Institution to go online
by Donna Ferguson
Under #Biden US national labs found themselves hamstrung by micromanagement, demands from the administration that resources be diverted away from #science while regulators repeatedly shut down programs much to the chagrin of our International partners.
It's been a breath of fresh air that the new administration has allowed us to actually get back to work. I don't even care if they know what they are doing, at least they are no longer interfering. Science is getting back on track now.
Regardless of everything else that #Trump might be getting into, and maybe it's just because he's just that incompetent, at least the US is getting back on track with its scientific endeavors. Our experiments are getting back up to speed after years of crippling bureaucracy, and we can start making progress again.
There's a lot to complain about with Trump, but I am very glad to see that the expectations for science are living up to what I'd hoped.
Largest complete dinosaur claw found in Gobi Desert
"Named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, the previously-unknown Cretaceous dinosaur had two-digit hands with lethal curved claws nearly a foot long."
https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72808
Dinosaurs discovered in the past:
Edited 227d ago
Early bird tickets for The #DrakeAwards2025 are available!
You’re cordially invited to join the SETI Institute on May 20, 2025, for an unforgettable evening celebrating scientific discovery, innovation, and the search for life beyond Earth. Connect with pioneering researchers in #SETI, #astrobiology, and #space #science, enjoy a gala dinner and awards ceremony, and engage with the brightest minds in the field.
Act now! The Early Bird sale ends in five days!
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drake-awards-2025-tickets-1251126907259
#OTD in 1930.
While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto, making it by far the first known object in the Kuiper belt. It was immediately hailed as the ninth planet.
However, its planetary status was questioned when it was found to be much smaller than expected. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally redefined the term planet to exclude dwarf planets such as Pluto.
Madness #AmericanAutocracy
‘Vaguely Threatening’: #Trump Federal Prosecutor #EdMartin Queries Leading #Medical Journal
The New England Journal of Medicine [#NEJM] received a letter suggesting that it was biased & compromised by external pressure. Other journals have also received the letter.
#law #censorship #FirstAmendment #Constitution #democracy #AbuseOfPower #authoritarianism #tyranny #dictatorship #AntiIntellectualism #science #medicine
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/health/nejm-prosecutor-letter.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=68CE025A-703F-4C94-87AA-8D0D7D06D23B
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) was born #OTD, 13 June. As a physicist, he ranks alongside Newton & Einstein (“He achieved greatness unequalled”—Max Planck; “I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell”—Albert Einstein).
Maxwell also wrote poetry: “Rigid Body Sings” is based on “Comin’ Through the Rye” by Robert Burns
#Scottish #literature #poetry #19thcentury #Victorian #Scots #Scotslanguage #Physics #science #physicist
PRESS RELEASE: https://www.seti.org/press-release/seti-institute-honor-contributions-exoplanet-research-its-carl-sagan-center-directors-award
The SETI Institute will recognize Dr. Joseph Twicken, Senior Data Scientist at the SETI Institute, with its 2025 Carl Sagan Center (CSC) Director’s Award. The CSC Director's Award honors SETI Institute scientists for outstanding achievements in astrobiology, technology, and exploration of life in the universe.
This. I mean…. I can’t even….
#Trump: …I’ve been meeting w/heads of… #forest countries, call themselves forest, Austria & others... they say we're a forest nation. We live in forest…In one case you know they say our #trees are much more flammable than #California but we don’t have #ForestFires because we clean the floor. We sweep the floor….
#Idiocracy #kakistocracy #science #nature #FEMA #Interior #ForestManagement #forests #wildfires #Climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange
I'm making a pilgrimage to 3 great observatories in Chile's Atacama desert (ALMA, CCAT, and the Simons Observatory). It's a trip I've dreamed about for years. Will try to post updates as I go.
Just getting there--from Santiago to Calama to San Pedro--is spectacular. Such raw geology.
