The Sci Tech World

Theoretical physicists have confirmed that it's not just the information coded into our DNA that shapes who we are - it's also the way DNA folds itself that controls which genes are expressed inside our bodies. That's something biologists have known for years, and they've even been able to figure out some of the proteins responsible for folding up DNA. But now a group of physicists have been able to demonstrate for the first time through simulations how this hidden information controls our evolution. Let's back up for a second here, because although it's not necessarily news to many scientists, this second level of DNA information might not be something you're familiar with.As you probably learnt in high school, Watson and Crick discovered in 1953 that the DNA code that determines who we are is made up of a sequence of the letters G, A, C, and T. The order of these letters determines which proteins are made in our cells. So, if you have brown eyes, it's ...

Earth may have a new neighbor, in the form of an Earth-like planet in a solar system only 16 light years away. The planet orbits a star named Gliese 832, and that solar system already hosts two other known exoplanets: Gliese 832B and Gliese 832C. The findings were reported in a new paper by Suman Satyal at the University of Texas, and colleagues J. Gri?th, and Z. E. Musielak. Gliese 832B is a gas giant similar to Jupiter, at 0.64 the mass of Jupiter, and it orbits its star at 3.5 AU. G832B probably plays a role similar to Jupiter in our Solar System, by setting gravitational equilibrium. Gliese 832C is a Super-Earth about 5 times as massive as Earth, and it orbits the star at a very close 0.16 AU. G832C is a rocky planet on the inner edge of the habitable zone, but is likely too close to its star for habitability. Gliese 832, the star at the center of it all, is a red dwarf about half the size of our Sun, in both mass and radius.The newly discovered planet is still hypothetical at this...

A group of researchers has discovered proof for a strange particle that, strangely, is also its own antiparticle. It was first proposed 80 years ago but now existence of it might be a reality. The results, published in the journal Science, were led by researchers from Stanford University in California and the University of California. The notion of a particle having its own antiparticle was first introduced in 1937 when Italian physicist Ettore Majorana (who strangely disappearedin 1938) first suggested the theory. He said that inside the class of fermions, which comprise protons, electrons, and neutrons, some particles must have their own antiparticles, which became known as Majorana particles. An antiparticle is a particle that has the same mass as the normal particle, but a reverse electric or magnetic property. For instance, the electron’s antiparticle is the positron. If the two come across each other, they annihilate each other. In this study, the group of physicists stacked thin...

A chunk of rock which fell to Earth and was discovered in the deserts of Egypt may hold the key to our understanding of how the solar system was formed. The Hypatia stone, named for the first Western woman mathematician and astronomer, contains minerals unlike anything seen before in our solar system. Extraterrestrial Diamond-Studded 'Hypatia’ Stone Found In Egypt Is Unlike Anything Seen In Our Solar System Ever Before, Say ScientistsExperts say the extraterrestrial object may have formed at a time when the universe was still taking shape and may predate the sun and its surrounding planets. It contains micro-mineral compounds not found elsewhere in our region of space, or in known meteorites and comets, and has the potential to rewrite the history books. The discovery was made by researchers from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), who used advanced scanning techniques to analyse Hypatia's structure. The original rock that fell to Earth must have been at least several metres i...

Many people believe that things “just happen” to them, but as we connect more closely to our intuition we are shown that everything that happens to us is of our own creation. We may not be fully aware of what we are creating moment to moment, but fortunately the universe provides us with many signs to let us know when we are on the right path, and (more importantly) when we are on the wrong path. This article will focus on the warning signs from the universe. In general, warning signs from the universe occur in the form of unwanted circumstances and events. These signs are an indication that your energy is headed towards (or currently stuck in) a low vibrational frequency. Your thoughts, feelings and actions are focused negatively, and this is creating unwanted circumstances. Conversely, when your thoughts, feelings and actions are moving at a high vibrational frequency, life will line up perfectly. You will have excellent timing and good luck all day long. This is why it’s so importan...

Renowned cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking passed away in the early hours of March 14, news that has saddened us all. His scientific output was truly incredible and his work in engaging the wider public in the complexities of the universe will continue to inspire. His most famous formula, describing the entropy of a black hole, might even adorn his tombstone. Image result for The black hole entropy formula He declared his wishes for this in 2002, during a workshop on the future of theoretical physics and cosmology held to mark his 60th birthday. The formula is the centerpiece of our understanding of black holes and a crowning achievement for Hawking, who worked on it with his colleague Jacob Bekenstein. It connects important thermodynamical quantities such as entropy, represented by the capital S, to physical properties of the black hole, namely its area, A. The remaining letters are constants of the universe; k is the Boltzmann constant, c is the speed of light, h-bar is the reduc...

A new step in the technological development of science was achieved by a group of scientists from the Harbin University of Medicine, China, successfully achieving the first human head transplant in China, according to a press conference on Friday. Italian Sergio Canavero, director of the Advanced Neuromodulation Group of Turin.(Human Head Transplant) THE OPERATION, WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT ON A CORPSE FOR 18 HOURS, SHOWED THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RECONNECT THE SPINE, NERVES AND BLOOD VESSELS. The intervention, led by Dr. Xiaoping Ren, who last year successfully inserted a head in the body of a monkey, lasted 18 arduous hours, at the end of which it was shown that it is possible to successfully reconnect the spine , the nerves and blood vessels of a human being. Apparently, on behalf of Chinese scientists, the Italian doctor Canavero said that “the next stage is a complete exchange between organ donors with brain death. That is the final step for the formal head transplant, whic...

In all the planets of our home galaxy, humankind happens to discover itself on a planet which is perfectly suitable for life. Earth isn't without its dangers however. Earth has seen five massive extinctions throughout its history, due to catastrophic disasters like huge asteroids and massive volcanic outbursts. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is very much concerned about the next mass destruction. He's so worried that he thinks we have to get off Earth and grow into a multi-planet species as soon as possible, according to an article posted by blogger Tim Urban called How (and Why) SpaceX Will Colonize Mars. Musk's thought is quite straightforward. Perhaps by the time the next huge asteroid heads our way, we'll have the equipment to protect the planet or redirect the space rock. But if it's something a bit more disastrous, like a neighboring star exploding, we may all get vaporized. Musk says we certainly can't afford to just wait around and find out. In his a...

Earth's magnetic field is pretty adept at flipping polarity. The poles have swapped, reversing north and south, many times over the planet's history. Within the last 20 million years, Earth has fallen into the pattern of pole reversal every 200,000 to 300,000 years, and between successful swaps, the poles sometimes even attempt to reverse and then snap back into place.About 40,000 years ago, the poles made one such unsuccessful attempt, and the last full swap was about 780,000 years ago, so we're a bit overdue for a pole reversal based on the established pattern. The planet's magnetic field is already shifting, which could signify the poles are preparing to flip, and while we can't yet confirm that a reversal is on the near horizon, it is well within the realm of possibility. While a pole reversal isn't entirely uncommon when you consider Earth's history, this time it could have serious implications for humanity. To try to determine whether or not a flip is ...

Someday, in the future, our skies will be full of whirring machines delivering anything we could ever want or need, from medical supplies to pizzas to the latest item from our Amazon overlords. That day is not today. On Monday, Russia's postal service tested a delivery drone in the city of Ulan-Ude, Siberia. Instead, though, the drone crashed violently into the wall of a nearby building, turning the UAV into a mess of jumbled parts. Russia had announced its plans to start delivering mail via drone. It seems like a smart idea, especially in such a huge country where severe weather often interrupts mail delivery. Here was the original plan for Monday's test. The US$20,000 drone was supposed to pick up a small package and deliver it to a nearby village, Reuters reports. Instead the device failed spectacularly, only making it a short distance before crashing into a three-story building. The small crowd gathered to watch the test can be heard uttering expletives, according to Reuter...