Is Our Universe is Built Upon Meaning to Space Rock or Alien Technology?
Today’s news stories include Quantum physics has been telling us for a long time that information plays a central role in our understanding of the world to Astronomers reveal 'invisible' galaxy from the early universe using an Einstein space-time trick, and more.
Space rock or flashy alien technology? We're going to find out, reports New Scientist. ""Science is filled with imagined realities – beliefs that will turn out to be untrue – and the idea that interstellar objects are simply rocks could be one of them, writes physicist Avi Loeb."
Ring discovered around dwarf planet Quaoar confounds theories--Astronomers find ring much further away from planet than is normal, leaving them wondering how it remains stable, reports The Guardian. "“The ring came as a real surprise and doubly surprising was where it was, well outside the theoretical maximum for where a ring can survive according to classical theory. These are the most unusual rings we’ve seen.”
The First City on Mars review: How to make life on Mars a reality--Living on Mars will take enormous work, but urban planner Justin Hollander is already on the case in this guide to settling the Red Planet, reports New Scientist.
"Quantum physics has been telling us for a long time that information plays a central role in our understanding of the world. Information is inherently meaningful, which suggests that our Universe is built upon meaning," explains astrophysicist Adam Frank for Big Think.
Forget China’s spy balloon; military UFO incidents are far more intriguing, reports The Hill. "Just above an area of roiling whitewater amid an otherwise calm sea, four naval aviators observed a strange object with no wings, control surfaces or means of propulsion maneuvering in jaw-dropping ways.The apparent physics- and aerodynamics-defying performance left the stunned aircrew believing that the object “was not from this world.
Scientists reveal 'invisible' galaxy from the early universe, using a space-time trick predicted by Einstein--Using the ALMA telescope in Chile and Einstein's theory of relativity, scientists observed a young galaxy in the early universe that is invisible in nearly every wavelength, reports Live Science.
"Medea hypothesis" --Is life on Earth in harmony with the planet — or is it ultimately suicidal? According to Peter Ward's "Medea hypothesis," photosynthesizing organisms regularly doom most life on Earth by over-consuming carbon dioxide, reports Big Think.
Scientists Try to Get Serious about Studying UFOs. Good Luck with That--New dedicated observatories and crowdsourced smartphone apps will study strange sightings in the sky. But questionable data quality and a lack of shared research standards remain key challenges, reports Leonard David for Scientific American.
Spanish lagoon proposed as Mars ‘astrobiological time-analog’, reports Tom Fleischman for the Cornell University Chronicle. Alberto G. Fairén, a visiting scientist in the Department of Astronomy, has led this inaugural study in his native Spain.
Big Think: Why Carl Sagan believed that science is a source of spirituality--Science will lead us to a universal morality and a cosmic religion."Albert Einstein and Carl Sagan thought that science and spirituality were compatible."