Physics Week in Review: May 6, 2017
Swirling bacteria are linked to phase transitions, the first "sounds" from the void in Saturn's rings, and using cosmic rays to search for hidden tombs in Turkey are among this week's physics highlights.
But first! May the Fourth be with you! Thursday was Star Wars day, so Wired's Rhett Allain literally Calculated the Power of the Force. "Darth Vader does 1,410 Joules of work. Because he does this in just 0.46 seconds, he has an output of 3,065 watts. That is the power of the Force." Bonus: 'You're a Spy With Illicit Help From Your Friends': The Incredible Star Wars/Beatles Sergeant Pepper Hybrid.
In anticipation of Mother's Day in a week or so, I chatted with Maiken Scott, host of WHYY Philadelphia's The Pulse, about why physics might be considered the mother of all science.
The Quantum Thermodynamics Revolution. As physicists extend the 19th-century laws of thermodynamics to the quantum realm, they're rewriting the relationships among energy, entropy and information. Quanta gets a gorgeous redesign and celebrates with a very fine article by Natalie Wolchover.
Swirling Bacteria Linked to the Physics of Phase Transitions. The new experiments suggest that simple models can explain the behavior of thousands of interacting organisms.
With a Recycled LHC Magnet, the Axion Solar Telescope Hunts for Ghost Photons. Related: CERN points giant magnet at the Sun to look for dark matter particles. Axions don't show up yet, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. Also: "in particle physics, not finding stuff can sometimes be equally exciting."
Mystery Glow of the Milky Way Likely Not Dark matter. According to Fermi LAT collaboration, it comes from pulsars. Related: With "a choice between fantastic new physics or slight twist on what we already know, don't bet on the incredible."
Big Bang Theory: Pioneering work that extracts information from audio of gunshots could help solve criminal cases.
Scientists are using sound vibrations to knock over Lego people: a novel way to show off time reversal technique.
In the brain, as in the heart, "just right" means just fractal enough to walk the line between chaos and order. For more, see my 2011 Scientific American post on fractals and the paintings of Jackson Pollock, as well as my 2014 article for Quanta on self-organized criticality in the brain.
This Is Our First 'Sound' From the Creepy Void Inside Saturn's Rings. It's the sound of the emptiness between Saturn and its rings, captured by Cassini last week for first time ever.
Using Radio to Detect the Gravitational Waves of Merging black holes. " Related: There is sound in space, thanks to gravitational waves. If telescope-based astronomy is how we see the Universe, then gravitational waves are how we hear it. Also: Gravitational waves could show hints of extra dimensions.
Ray Collins Captures Waves Like You've Never Seen Them Before. Per Twisted Sifter: "Collins is colourblind which he says has forced him to look more at shapes, lines and most importantly, lighting." [Image: Ray Collins]
Cracking The Cocktail Code: The Enigma-Themed Bar That Raises A Glass To World War II Codebreakers.
New Scientist published a nice feature on Time crystals: A new state of matter that outlasts the universe. A bizarre oscillating material that seems to run on a never-ending loop has apparently been made in the lab, bending the cast-iron laws of thermodynamics. I wrote a news story about time crystals for the magazine back in February.
The star-nosed mole can sniff underwater, collecting scent particles by exhaling a bubble and then re-inspiring it.
The Crazy Eruptions That Spit Up Diamonds like "rocket ships from the Earth's interior."
The World's First Nanocar Race Showcases Single-Molecule Machines.
Is Technology Too Good for an Old-School Test of Einstein's Relativity? We'll find out on Aug 21 eclipse.
No, really, this video of grandma and her dog is bogus. You can tell from the pixels and the physics.
The Deconstructed Standard Model Equation: This is the closest thing we have to a master equation of the universe; it describes every particle in your body.
How Tree Rings Solved a Musical Mystery: "tree ring analysis has been used to date wooden musical instruments like violins and cellos, and in at least one case, a double bass."
As this smoke visualization shows, trees have a significant impact on airflow around them.
Data sonification: Musicians join scientists to explore data through sound.
The Bugs Of The World Could Squish Us All: "all of the bugs definitely weigh more than all of the humans."
Can giant airships slowly accelerate to orbit? JP Aerospace thinks so, but the odds, and physics, are against them.
Morning glory seeds are tough enough for an interplanetary trip.
"Quicksand is complicated stuff. It's typically a mixture made up of sand, clay, and water."
The chemistry of seasoning cast-iron pans: polymerization (A Science-Based How-To).
Scientists Think These Ancient Carvings Depict an Apocalyptic Comet Impact.
Archaeology meets particle physics. Undergraduates search for hidden tombs in Turkey using cosmic-ray muons.
5 impossible things the laws of physics might actually allow. But Jen-Luc Piquant suggests you don't hold your breath waiting for them to become reality, and takes issue with #1 (perpetual motion machines).
Hypnotic Video of Small Objects Interacting With Colorful Pillows of Ink Injected Into Water.
What Is Energy: How a Missing Penny Explains the Conservation of Energy.
How Claude Shannon, born 101 years ago this week, invented the bit and sparked the Information Age.
This physicist (Richard Garwin) was involved with the creation of the touchscreen and the first hydrogen bomb. Related: Why was the first history of the bomb so physics-centric? The Smyth Report: A chemical weapon coverup?
Fascinating film of physicist J.J. Thomson discussing his discovery of the electron 120 years ago this week.
Omni Magazine's classic 1979 interview with Richard Feynman on The True Meaning of Physics.
Hannah Arendt on Science, Space, and How Our Cosmic Aspirations Illuminate the Human Condition.
Actress Hedy Lamarr patented spread-spectrum communications, which is now used in mobile phones. Here's my own 2012 blog post for Scientific American on the publication of Richard Rhode's biography of the Lamarr.
The Physics of Forbidden Love: "Why not find refuge, however finite and daring, with each other?"
In new indie film Kill Switch, Dan Stevens Explores What Happens When Parallel Universes Collide.
In Science, Probability Is More Certain Than You Think.
You weren't bad at math"-"you just weren't looking at it the right way. "If math was nothing more than a sprawling mess of symbols for you at school, take solace in the fact that an enthralling, quite separate universe awaits you. Math is replete with rich and wonderful mental representations"-"the kinds that foster understanding and forge connections between ideas. This is the math that mathematicians fall in love with."
Dear Mathematician Who Discovered Me... Letters from theorems to their namesakes.
"It is said that a mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems."
Rosanne Cash on How Science Saved Her Life, and Her Beautiful Reading of Adrienne Rich's Tribute to Marie Curie.
Ann Nelson on diversity in physics: "Blatant examples of hostility and discrimination are frequent."
Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why dark matter matters (and is kind of our frenemy).
You Are Stardust - an ode to the universe in gorgeous illustrated dioramas.
Watch a crushed Life Saver emit light at 28,000 frames per second --Triboluminescence FTW!
You Can Now Go On Your Own Doctor Who Adventure, Through the Magic of Skype and a Chatbot.
Colorado-based artist Michael Papadakis Paints with the Sun Using Magnifying Glass as His Brush.
The Backyard Scientist Builds an Intimidating Giant Mouse Trap That Smashes Everything.
Finally, yet another electronic music video from physicist Sabine Hossenfelder, this time paying homage to Schroedinger's Cat:
Since you ask, the cat is doing fine
Somewhere in the multiverse it's still alive
Think that is bad? If you trust our math,
The future is as fixed, as is the past.