The Return of Physics Week in Review! November 4, 2017
I know, I know, it's been a few months since the last physics links roundup. Chalk it up to burnout. We needed a break. And then another break. And then another. Also, we have two adorable new kittens named Ariel and Caliban (now rambunctious teenagers at 7 months), and they're pretty distracting. But Jen-Luc Piquant is back this month and we'll just try to pick up from here, shall we?
Cosmic Rays Uncover New Room in Egypt's Great Pyramid. Well, technically it's a "void," as any physicist will tell you. An Unknown 'Void' Found in the Great Pyramid Using Cosmic Rays may be a clue to how the giant structure was built.
The latest results from two dark matter searches have further ruled out many theoretically attractive dark matter particle candidates.
Monster Black Hole Mergers Could Be Hiding in an Unexpected Place.
Cake-cutting game theory trick could stop gerrymandering. The "I-Cut-You-Choose" method results in provably fair slices of cake. The same game theory approach can produce fairer voting districts in US states, too.
Synthetic material acts like an insect cloaking device. "
We're poised to do something amazing with quantum computers. We just don't know what it is yet... Related: Why Hedge Funds Are Already Experimenting With Quantum Computers.
Ghostly Image of Scottish Queen Found Beneath Painting. "While using X-rays to photograph a centuries-old painting of Scottish nobleman Sir John Maitland, art conservator Caroline Rae from the Courtald Institute of Art in London noticed the ghostly sketch of a woman beneath the top level of pigment."
The Unforgiving Math That Stops Epidemics. If you didn't get a flu shot, you are endangering more than just your own health. Calculations of herd immunity against common diseases don't make exceptions
Discovered: A (Theoretical) Fusion Technique 8 Times Stronger Than One In H-Bomb.
How Much Energy Can You Cram Into Your Halloween Candy? What's the best Halloween candy? Use math to help you decide.
Separation by Scattering: Scientists take on an isotope challenge.
A New Generation of Perfectly Secure Messaging Is on the Way. "
The first creature in space was a dog named Laika. She died miserably 60 years ago.
Fly Around Mars With Physics: Work-Energy vs. Momentum Principles.
The Surprising Science Behind a Bowl of Cheerios. See also my 2016 Gizmodo post on the inverse Cheerios effect, which is also a thing that exists.
How a Victorian Lawyer from Wales Invented the Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
Math's Beautiful Monsters: a fiendish class of equations known as Abelian functions. "
Where does our number sense come from? Is it a neural capacity we are born with - or is it a product of our culture?
During WWII, mathematician Arne Beurling made "one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of cryptography." "
CERN alumna turned deep-sea explorer: Grace C. Young is fascinated by fundamental questions about realms both quantum and undersea.
Ice Fishing for Neutrinos: Ignorant and lucky at the bottom of the Earth.
Former NASA-JPL engineer Mark Rober explores carnival scam science and has a few tips on how to win, at least occasionally.
Science Says Stranger Things' Eleven is Stronger Than a Jedi. "
Ask a Physicist: The Speed of Electricity.
Arguably the very first images to depict space travel on a scientific basis, these wonderful illustrations are the work of the French illustrator imile-Antoine Bayard."
The mighty mathematics of the lever: Archimedes once said "Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the Earth." "
There's a Damn Good Chance Your Neighbor Thinks Chemtrails Are Real.
The scientist who traveled the world in a shipping container to study cold storage.
Experts: America Doesn't Need All These Nukes. "nuclear deterrence doesn't need to be so pricey." "
What would happen if you became dark matter? You'd never be the same again, but "how" is incredible. "
November 1 marked the 100th anniversary of the telescope that discovered the universe: Mount Wilson Observatory.
Huge Microwave Observatory to Search for Cosmic Inflation. "
Want to get to know -- and view some great posters of -- great women who changed science? "
Physicists suggest possible explanations for the EM drive. But it still is more likely BS.
Peter Galison, recipient of the 2018 Pais Prize for the History of Physics, discusses Einstein, clocks & relativity.
Physics is taught badly because teachers struggle with basic concepts.
Are Relations Between Science Agencies and Science Journalists at a New Low?
A 19th-Century Guide to Seeing Ghosts Everywhere: The 1864 Spectropia used optical illusions to manifest ghosts in Victorian homes, and was designed to attack the quackery of Spiritualism.
10 Spacetime Mysteries That Quantum Gravity Could Solve.
Hubble Telescope Desperately Struggling To Contact NASA After Witnessing Murder On Ganymede [SATIRE].
The UK is investing in a deep underground neutrino experiment. Neutrinos raise questions faster than they answer them, but in science that's a good thing. "
Johnny and Oppie. Some gossip about who thought up black holes and who named them.
Neutron stars are so crazy extreme that we don't know what happens in the center of them.
Nobel Prize Winning Technique Discovers Reason Behind Battery Fires. Related: What to worry about when you're worrying about lithium-ion batteries.
Laser scanning has revealed new details about the ancient navigational instrument called an astrolabe.
Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder: "I keep getting emails about the claim that one can test quantum gravity with quantum oscillators. It's wrong." "
Mysterious Balls of Light Aren't UFOs, Says Science. "
Why Did Light Arrive 1.7 Seconds After Gravitational Waves In The Neutron Star Merger?
Finally, check out This Fantastic Whiteboard Animation from Minute Physics Diagramming How Time Travel Has Been Portrayed in Fiction: